Refrozen Retribution
by sleeping zombie
Summary: A year has passed since Anna was Refrozen By Fear. Now a new threat comes between Anna and Elsa. Can Anna escape from a mysterious kidnapper? Can Elsa find Anna before she comes to harm? Sequel to "REFROZEN BY FEAR"
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a sequel to "REFROZEN BY FEAR" and my second work on FANFICTION. Some references in this first chapter will make no sense without reading that story first.

Any suggestions or anything constructive you can think of would be appreciated as a review. The more useful reviews I get, the more motivation I have to write. :) I have a full outline ready to be typed out, but I am willing to entertain adding any suggestions you can give (as long as it doesn't affect general plot).

While typing this out, I am also working on the outline for my third attempt at writing. It's tentatively called "Refrozen Redemption". Yes, each title starting with "Refrozen" is deliberate.

As always, Frozen belongs to Disney and I have no claim to belong in the credits. That means "FROZEN DOESN'T BELONG TO ME". ;) On with our story!

Anna stepped from the chocolate shop as she placed her most recent purchase in her bag. Her long green dress and trade mark twin braids of hair were caught in the breeze. Casually, she flipped the copper tresses behind her shoulder. Placing one tender morsel on her tongue, she looks around and contemplates her next stop.

'Well, I've pretty well covered this area of town. Where to next? Walk through the main plaza again, explore more of the dock area (which Elsa REALLY doesn't like me doing), or maybe climb a tree and relax?' Looking up at the castle, her home for her almost twenty years of life, she takes a deep breath and frowns. 'I'm not ready to go back there yet. Guess I'll go see Hazel before heading back.'

Anna walked slowly in the late afternoon sun, greeting the residents of Arendelle as she passed. The warm smiles of the villagers always lifted her mood, at least on the surface. As Anna walked, she thought back to the previous summer. As if Elsa's disastrous coronation wasn't bad enough, the assassination attempt on her sister and Elsa's subsequent uncontrolled outbursts of magic still weighed heavily on her mind. After Elsa's powers went out of control, it had taken all Anna's strength, and then some, to fix things. If it wasn't for Kai, she would have given up and likely lost her life, her sister's life and Arendelle's freedom.

Meeting Hazel as a result of Elsa's power outage was a blessing, but it was a mixed blessing. As a living ice statue made in Elsa's image, she had saved her life and became a trusted, loyal friend. Anna would even call her a guardian angel. Unfortunately, Hazel had lost her brief time among the living during the battle with Marshmallow. She could still recall Hazel as she thanked Anna for believing in her. The image of her icy eyes frosting over for the last time was forever burned in her memory. Even after almost a year, she still had the occasional nightmare where Hazel would ask why she let her die. She never told Elsa about these anymore because it just made them both feel guilty and cause awkward silences.

Elsa had shown great love of her family when she placed a memorial for Hazel. It stood next to the larger monoliths for their parents. The stone had dubbed her Princess Hazel. Since she came from Elsa and shared part of her memories, she could technically be called Anna's younger sister. Elsa had run with this idea when she adopted Hazel into the family and placed the tombstone. This gave Anna a way to grieve for Hazel's loss other than crying in her room. Anna visited Hazel at least twice a week since then without fail. Other than opening the door after thirteen years, this was the best thing Elsa could have done for Anna. She was always at peace after unburdening her soul to her little sister.

Entering the cemetery, Anna took the right hand path to the memorial. In the same incident that had killed Hazel, a guard had also been taken out. Her anger with Marshmallow had extended farther than intended and cost a brave soldier his life. She still regretted her actions and did her best to make it up to his widow and young children. Elsa had knighted him posthumously, so the crown could look after his immediate family until his children were older. The crown always looked after those who had shown extreme loyalty, and this was not going to be the exception. Anna had become such a part of the widow's life that her children had started calling her 'Auntie Anna'. That had mortified the widow, until she realized that Anna genuinely felt honored by the title.

Upon approaching the tombstone, Anna reaches into her bag to retrieve a fresh bouquet of mixed flowers. With extreme care, she places them in front of the marker. As she stands, she takes the wilted bunch from her last visit and places them into her bag. As usual, she would dispose of them later.

"Hi Hazel, glad to see you again. Hope the gardeners have been tending your area to your satisfaction. I may have some trouble visiting soon. Elsa has been paranoid about rumors of unrest. I told her it was just false rumor if there is nothing to back it up, but she won't let it go. I'm concerned she may get worked up enough to close the gates. If that happens, at least you'll know why I don't come out. I'll still come out whenever I can, regardless."

"I hate to say it, but I'm still uncomfortable walking around the castle after the events last summer. I'm often jumping at shadows, and startle easily. I even thought I was being followed around the castle for a while. I'm sure you remember that from a previous visit. I rambled on about that for a long time before I calmed down enough to go back to the castle. I'm getting better, but my shaken nerves are gone by no means."

"Fear is still a problem for me, obviously, but not just by jumping at shadows. People think I'm thinking more about my choices before I make them, and I guess they are right for the wrong reasons. They think it is just deciding on a better choice before running off. Actually, it's fear of somebody getting hurt by the choices I make. Sounds stupid, but I even delay when I'm choosing what chocolate to buy. Dumb, right? I wish you could tell me how to get past that fear. You seemed to when you stood up for me that time. Since you can't, I'm left with figuring it out myself. At this rate, I'll die of old age first. I may be stuck this way for the rest of my life."

"On a lighter note, I'm almost completely done exploring Arendelle. Since there doesn't seem to be much new to see lately, I've taken to volunteering myself around the town. Kids seem to get a kick out of telling a princess what to do, and have her actually do it! Yes, I get a kick out of their reaction too. While nobody will actually let me cook since I burned a pot of water (taking out a good portion of a kitchen in the process), at least they will still let me do other things. You'd laugh if you saw me sweeping a hall, since the pit I call a bedroom is legendary. Because I stay out of the castle so much, it doesn't get properly cleaned. The chambermaids won't even go in except to change bed sheets! They said something about having to beat my dirty clothes into submission before they could be picked up. I think they exaggerated."

"Well, I guess I've put it off as long as I can for today. I need to get back to the castle before it gets too dark. Too bad it gets dark so early because of all the nearby mountains. I'll come back soon, I promise. Take care, Hazel!"

As Anna turns, she sees two guards approaching. While she didn't recognize their faces, their livery clearly identified them as from the castle. 'Elsa is so overprotective! I swear I'm going to have to talk to that girl. Maybe she'll listen if I bring a hammer with me, as a prop of course.' As they walked up, she heard one of them call.

"Princess, you shouldn't be out here! It's not safe to be alone!" Immediately, the other guard started to survey the area for trouble.

"Nonsense! What could possibly happen with Arendelle's finest around to protect the peace?"

"All clear," reported the second guard, returning from his survey.

With a nod, the first guard walks right up to Anna. "Princess, we must insist you come back with us. We are under orders to escort you back."

"Very well, then. I still say Elsa is overreacting to rumors," replied Anna.

Anna turns to walk back to the castle following the first guard, the second guard following at the back. Suddenly, a cloth bag coated on the inside with vile smelling goo is pulled over her head. As she opens her mouth to call out, a fist hammers into her cheek through the bag. By the time Anna is able to recover from the blow, her head is spinning due to the heady odor of the sack. Spots begin to appear in front of her eyes, and she staggers before falling to the ground. The last thing she hears is the first guard talking as though from far away.

"Too bad Elsa didn't send us. What the hell took you so long to get the bag over her head anyway?"

After that, darkness reigns.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Refrozen Retribution

A/N: In case you haven't guessed, Anna is my main focus in my "Refrozen" series. The third story will be revealing, but I have to get there first. I will do my best for anybody interested.

On that note, on with our story.

"Too bad Elsa didn't send us. What the hell took you so long to get the bag over her head anyway?"

After that, darkness reigns.

When Anna awoke, she rolled onto her side and as deep into the covers as she could manage. 'Gods, my back is sore! I'm going to have to talk to the chambermaids about the quality of their work on my bed. I know the room is messy, but that's no reason to make my bed so uncomfortable. And what's with the headache. I shouldn't be hung over as I wasn't drinking last night, but… OH!'

"What the hell..?" questioned Anna as she bolted upright. This probably wasn't her best move as pain flared in her head and cheek. Dizziness warred with balance and she almost tipped out of her 'bed'. Closing her eyes tight and raising her hands to the side of her head, she let out a pitiful groan as she waited for her eyes to stop spinning. When the pain subsided to an almost bearable level, she carefully opened her eyes to the dimly lit room.

Anna looked around in growing fear, soon bordering on panic. She was lying on a stone block built into the corner of the square room. Her 'bed' was covered with two blankets. One was bunched up underneath her to soften her slumber. The other covered her up in the slightly chilled air of the room. The walls to her immediate left and right were bare with no ways in or out. The only thing in the room other than the bed was two hallways part way along each of the farther walls. Both halls angled towards the farthest corner of the room. The walls appeared to be mostly solid stone, with some stone and mortar sections. The room was lit by a lantern recessed into the wall near the roof. Access to the lantern was blocked by metal bars criss-crossing the opening.

Anna swung her legs off her bed and stood up. Immediately she regretted the action and sat back down. The world continues to spin wildly for another minute while she sat there. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. "Guess I'm not quite ready to move quickly yet."

While she was waiting for the world to stop spinning, she swore she could hear somebody chuckling from inside the room. It almost sounded like there were a couple people there. When she looked up, she was completely alone. 'Great, now I'm going crazy too!' Moving more slowly, she got up to look around. The exits she saw turned out to be short hallways that turned to an open door frame. With the lack of the door, the side of the hall towards the room acted like a privacy screen. She couldn't fathom why she would need it if she was alone. Both of the exits appeared to end the same way, but to different areas.

A quick search of the current room gave no other indications on how to get out, no obvious was to fill the lanterns and nothing that would help Anna except the blankets. No light came from the right hand exit, but the one on the left was also lit by lanterns in the walls.

This new room was also square, with a doorframe in each wall. Only the left hand door frame had an actual door. Since the door was partially open, she could see there was light coming from the other side. All the other door frames were dark on the other side, except the one to her 'bedroom'. Otherwise, the room was completely empty.

Peeking through the door, Anna could see two big blocks on the far side, about waist high and knee high. Approaching the taller one, she could see a wash basin carved into the stone. Water continually flowed into the basin from a hole in the wall, and drained out a hole located part way up the basin. From there, the water went to the second shorter block. The shape of the block was similar to the toilets back in the castle. A hole about four inches across was in the bottom of the bowl. The overflow from the basin rinsed out the toilet bowl and into the hole in the bottom. Below the hole sounded like a rushing river.

'OK, this is different, and I'm not sure it's a good different. I don't have enough light to get out, I can hear an underground river running under my toilet, no food, no company, and no tools. My head is threatening to split open like a watermelon dropped off a roof. On the plus side, I have a bed of sorts, and a place to pee and a place to wash up. What the hell have I gotten myself into? MAYBE I should have listened to Elsa about the rumors.'

While there was no breeze to indicate a way out, there was a definite chill in the air, especially where water was located. 'I guess hot water would be too much to ask for. Why would the toilet have a door if I'm the only one that appears to be here?'

As Anna went back to her 'bed', she took the time to do a more thorough search of the rooms with light. Try as she might, there was no way out she could reach from the ground, and nothing visible where she couldn't reach. She couldn't even be sure how the lanterns were filled. The whole place was a mystery.

Upon reaching the bedroom, Anna can see things have changed. Her 'bed' had been made, and food (of sorts) was resting on the blankets. Somebody had placed a small loaf of bread and a small wooden cup of water on her bed. A note had been left with the bread in a small neat script.

'Princess, welcome to your new room. We hope your stay will be satisfactory; although pleasant may be a stretch of the imagination. Take note, there is no way for you to escape from your accommodations. Behave yourself and you will be rewarded. Misbehave and there will be consequences. The choice is yours. There will be a test later.'

Anna just looked back and forth between the food and the note. "What the hell?" she exclaimed. "Even the rare prisoners in Arendelle's dungeons got fed more than this. How did it get in here? I didn't hear anybody. What do they want? Excuse me, are they watching me?"

Anna's stomach growls as she picks up the unappetizing bread. She is surprised to see another note folded up hiding underneath the bread. The script in this note looked more like a child wrote it.

'Take hart princes. Sum do not like master takeing you. Wil help when can, but do not let notes be found. If found, then we wil to go missing, for ever.'

Anna stared at the note for a minute trying to digest its meaning. With a significant lack of other options, maybe it would be best to bide her time. The opportunity to escape may come later if her captors became complacent. Quietly, she tucks the second note into a piece of the dry bread and forced herself to eat. She had never tasted bread so stale, but at least it wasn't moldy. When she finally choked down the bread, she turned to the pittance of water she had been given. I tasted better than liquid chocolate after that horrid loaf.

At least she had a hope, even if it was fleeting. Just was it legitimate, or a trap? She'd seen too many of those in the last year, now that she had an idea what to look for.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Refrozen Retribution

A/N: Sorry for the slow posting. Technical issues with the computer and "family drama" has kept me from entering my next chapter. I promise to complete the story, hopefully updating more often than I have been. A month is way too long in my opinion.

At least she had a hope, even if it was fleeting. Just was it a legitimate hope, or a trap? She'd seen too many of those in the last year, now that she had an idea what to look for.

Time passes slowly until the lanterns start to burn low. Anna had passed the first couple hours in a stone-by-stone inspection of the rooms she had already found. In some areas, this went very quickly as the wall was either solid rock or she already knew what was on the other side. Solid stone floors made checking them unnecessary. The only known holes in the floor had the river running underneath. What was not solid stone gave no indications of how she was placed in her cell. Granted, there were other rooms she couldn't see into. When she had a better idea what was normal, she could check those in the dark later – by touch.

Eventually, the lights went out completely, and Anna was left in pitch black. There was more light inside a boot than around her. She could hear the water in the toilet room as it dribbled out of the sink. Also distinctive was the rushing of the underground river beneath the toilet. Anna could swear she heard thumps and bumps from unknown locations. Unfortunately, there was no way to identify the source in total darkness. Knowing Anna's active imagination, they may not have even been real noises.

With every noise, real or imagined, Anna would sit tensed up with her eyes wide open. She felt foolish peering into the dark when there was zero chance of seeing anything, but she couldn't help herself. She tried laying out on her stone bed, but her mind kept picturing giant rats crawling on her legs, looking for the softest skin to take a bite out of. More than once, she jumped from tapping her own leg as she started to drift into sleep. Tingling in her arms and legs made her think about various crawling bugs with multitudes of legs and sharp pinchers. Shifting hair brought on fears of spiders laying eggs on her head. Eventually exhaustion takes its toll on one of Anna's brief attempts at dozing, allowing the subtle veil known as sleep to lull Anna into its dark embrace.

Time is meaningless when you have no way to see the sun. Over what she thinks is the better part of a week, lanterns are periodically refilled and lit. As she never sees or hears the process, all she can assume is that they are tended from above. As a matter of fact, Anna never directly sees ANYBODY. The rooms she can access safely yield no visible way in or out, except maybe in the roof. Furniture in any room is built into the stone floor and unmovable. The furniture is also too short to allow Anna to properly inspect the roof for ways out, as she cannot get her fingers within about a foot of it. Even attempting to fold her blankets and stand on them couldn't quite get her within reach of the surface.

Anna would frequently get bored, even with her own rambling about the questionable parentage of her captors. Desperate for contact with anybody, she would periodically call out to her captors. Sometimes she would politely request a response, other times she resorted to trying to irritate her captors into responding. Once in a while, she would even beg for any acknowledgement of her existence. The only response, if any, was the ghostly chuckling. She was even beginning to doubt if that was even real or just wishful thinking.

Food would periodically arrive out of nowhere, as if placed by a ghost. She would wake to find it sitting next to her, or it would be sitting on her bed after a brief run to the toilet. Whatever they were after, they certainly took great effort to remain behind the scenes. While there was a definite gentle flow to the air, it is never enough to determine where the source is. After a day or so trying to locate where the air gets in from, she identified the same smell from the sack they put over her head. The scent was much milder than the sack, so she never noticed it sooner. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had more difficulty putting her thoughts in order than normal. They were obviously using the scent to try and tame her wild nature. Thinking back, she realized it was working.

At one point, Anna figured she could move through the next room to try and find an exit, despite the lack of light. This came to an abrupt end when she found a pool of water by falling into it. Not knowing if it emptied into the river, she quickly backtracked to the lit rooms. Getting sucked into an underground river could be a death sentence if the space became too small, or travelled too far before she could resurface for air.

After about four uneventful cycles of darkness, Anna noticed the other path from the bedroom was now lit as well. Rising silently, Anna approaches the doorframe as quietly as she can, hoping to catch a glimpse of her captors. Silence surrounded her as she advances on aching feet. Peering into the room, disappointment appears on her face when she realizes just how empty the room is. While there is nothing living inside the room, it wasn't completely empty though.

Just like all the rooms thus far, this one is square. From what she had seen so far, the rooms appeared to be in some kind of grid pattern. On the left is another archway with no door, but the far wall has a closed door. There is a handle to pull it open, but no obvious locking mechanism. Along the right wall are three blocks. Two smaller blocks sit against the wall rising up to about knee height, with a larger block in between about waist high and twice as wide. What captures Anna's attention most sits on the larger block.

Staring at the block, she sees a larger than normal cup and another of those hellish loaves of bread. The item she can't take her eyes off of was a moderately sized apple. 'Oh gods, an apple!' The draw of the apple is more than she can pry her view from. It hadn't been that long since she had fruit, but it felt like years. Approaching the block, her eyes never once left the morsel. With a slightly trembling hand, she lifted the orb to examine it. While battered and bruised, the skin of the fruit was still intact. 'At least they likely haven't poisoned it,' she thought sarcastically.

Picking up the loaf, she noticed it had been cut down the length. No other loaves had this happen. Opening it down the cut, she was pleasantly surprised to find it fresh and slathered in butter. The water was also lightly flavored with fruit juice, rather than the normal grit. Under the cup was a note containing only five words: 'Rewards for a good girl.'

Anna stared at the note for a few minutes in utter confusion. 'How the hell AM I supposed to be bad? I have nothing to do and even less to do it with! I don't dare search other areas in the dark as I know there are ways to fall into an underground river. The only things I have to get in trouble with are my blankets and the water in the toilet room! This makes no sense!?'

Returning her attention to the apple, Anna bit into it with a deliberate slowness. She sighed as she savored the juices tickling her taste buds. Eating the bruises first, she was totally amazed at how desirable they tasted. Back at the castle, she wouldn't have thought twice about throwing the apple out untried. If the bruised parts tasted great, Anna was in heaven working her way through the unbruised core. With great regret, she put the core of the apple back on her stone table. With the flesh of the apple gone, she just couldn't bring herself to finish off the core itself.

Next, Anna turned her attention to the bread. To her surprise and greater delight, the only thing hard about the bread was the crust and restraining herself from wolfing it down. The inside was soft and still slightly warm from the oven. Butter had melted itself into the bread and the aroma had Anna's stomach growling and her mouth bordering on drooling. While Anna herself didn't subscribe to any particular patron god, she felt like she was at Odin's banquet table. That is at least until she broke off one end of the bread.

Apparently, hidden under the butter, was a second slice in the bread. A small sturdy knife was just visible sticking out of the larger piece of bread. Around the blade was a note covered in a thin coat of beeswax. Opening the note, Anna initially thought it was written by a child. The penmanship was atrocious. With great difficulty, Anna attempted to read the note.

'You ar in danjer, and ar wached. Arm your self when lites go out next. Will get Quene a mesage but is hard. You hav frends, but do not let note be found.'

With mixed feelings of comfort and anxiety, Anna palmed the knife. 'Maybe I'm not going crazy hearing laughing if I'm being watched. Can I trust this person? Well, I'll find out tonight. If I'm going to be threatened or attacked when the lights go out, I guess it is better to know in advance. I hope this person can get a note to Elsa, but if they are poorly educated, it may not be possible at all. Who spells queen with an 'ene', or danger with a 'j'? Oh Elsa, where are you?'

Quietly, Anna tucks the note into the bread and takes a bite. For some reason, the bread wasn't as good as she thought it would be. The crystal clear water did quench her thirst, but did not satisfy her in the least. She suspected it was her imagination, but she almost thought the water didn't taste right. For the first time in her life, she did a serious silent prayer to Thor, praying for deliverance.

Knock, knock.

"Enter."

Silently, the heavy wooden door swung open to admit a soldier in a captain's uniform. The uniform had no markings to indicate allegiance to any country or nobility. "Sir, she is behaving as you expected."

"Excellent. All is going according to my plans. That monster and her sister will pay for what they have done," comes a voice from a poorly lit corner. Sitting in a comfortable chair is a short bald man. The only thing the captain can see is the tattered navy colored pants.

"There was one time where she sat staring at the loaf of bread without taking a bite. She almost seemed to lose heart at that point."

"The loaf was still warm and fresh when she found it, correct?"

"Yes, my lord. She tore in into two pieces and then stared at it. Unfortunately, her back was to us and we couldn't tell what was bothering her."

"Interesting. We'll see how she does tonight. If she survives, we will have to watch her more closely. If her mood shifts unexpectedly again, take note of when and where it occurs."

"Yes, my lord."

"We can't have our pigeon losing heart so soon. She doesn't know it yet, but she will be doing our work for us. Soon she will drive a wedge between her and her sister that neither of them can overcome."

"Do you have any further instructions, my lord?"

"No… no. Not yet. You're dismissed Captain."

"Thank you, my lord." Without another word, the captain turns on his heel and leaves.

"Very interesting," mumbles the lord from his dark corner.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Refrozen Retribution

A/N: Rewrote the child-like note in chapter two. Says the same things, but more in the poor spelling and smaller words as seen in chapter 3. Remember guys, more constructive feedback means more desire for me to update sooner.

As an apology for the long delay, I've worked to get another chapter up as quickly as possible.

On with our story:

'You ar in danjer, and ar wached. Arm your self when lites go out next. Will get Quene a mesage but is hard. You hav frends...'

The words from the note resounded in her head as she waited. Anna knew time always seems to slow when you thought there might be trouble, but it was infinitely worse when you knew it was going to happen. Anna was most decidedly not known for her patience in this regard. There were certain things she was unable to let go, love of family and a good argument highly ranked among them. While pacing helped pass the time, Anna knew she couldn't afford to tire herself out completely either. Attempting to sleep while the lights were still on was a wasted effort as well. Assuming the note was correct, Anna was stuck between not knowing how long until dark, and knowing something was coming for her. All Anna could do was lay there jumping at the slightest noises. The longer she lay there, the more nervous she became.

Eventually, Anna noticed the lights in the other rooms were sputtering before going out all together. Anna started staring at her wall lantern as it slowly got dimmer and dimmer. This had the effect of putting Anna in a nervous stupor, where she would almost fall asleep until a noise startled her to fully awake again.

As the lights were almost completely gone, Anna started trying to restore her alertness with little pep talks; anything to keep from actually sleeping at a VERY crucial time. 'It's go time, Anna! You're ready for this! You were born ready!" For the thousandth time, Anna confirmed she hadn't lost her sole means of protection. That little knife, sturdy as it was, was her only lifeline against whatever horrors may come. Unfortunately for Anna, this also triggered her imagination. In her mind's eye, she envisioned assassins dropping from the roof, rabid wolves released from the unknown recesses of her dungeon 'suite', snakes worming their way from the toilet area (Not going there in the dark!), poison gas coming in from the lantern spaces, and an ever growing multitude of other dangers. One of the latest fears was somebody sneaking in, tying her to her stone bed and torturing her (or worse, taking advantage of her womanhood). It didn't matter that there was nothing to actually tie to on a stone block built into the wall. She even came up with somebody flooding her prison by blocking the underground river. Drowning in personal filth was a very gross prospect in the least.

Anna, for her part, had been planning. Before the lights became too dim, she confined herself to her bed and waited for the lights to go out completely. If she was actually being watched, she wanted them to think she was still attempting to sleep. When all parts of the room FINALLY became fully dark, she moved out the foot of her bed as quietly as she could manage. She didn't move far from the bed so any watchers hearing her would think she just rolled over in the bed itself. Readying herself, she hunched as still as possible waiting for her unknown troubles to start. If any actual attacks came, she hoped they would be directed at the empty bed first.

Anna had mixed feelings about not having to wait long before hearing new noises. She hadn't gotten nervous cramps from sitting still (not yet anyway), but she also wasn't sure she was really ready for what came. Quiet, but not quite silent, footsteps could be heard coming into the room from the far right-hand entry to the dining area. Anna held her breath, and prayed her beating heart wasn't really as loud as it seemed, as footsteps approached the middle of her bed. Her heart was drumming so hard, the other person had to have heard it! Upon reaching the bed, she heard the other person take a deep breath and slowly let it go as she stood there. Anna, still crouched at the foot of the bed, tensed all her muscles further, ready to defend herself.

There was no warning when the attack finally came. Anna could hear metal striking stone hard in the middle of her bed. She could hear it scrape as it sounded like it was pulled back to the attacker. The only other sound was a slight gasp in pain after the attack landed, as though they were not ready to hit stone instead of Anna's soft flesh.

Anna didn't wait when she knew this was what she had been waiting for. Throwing caution to the wind, Anna leaped directly from her crouch aimed at the source of the gasp. Anna chanced leading with her knife, hoping to penetrate any protections her attacker may have. While she couldn't rule out hardened leather, she hadn't heard or smelled anything associated with metal armor. No grinding of rust or smell of corroding metal, no clinks of chain links or sounds of metal plates sliding on each other could be detected at all.

Anna felt her crude blade sink into something soft and heard a louder squealing gasp of pain. She pulled her hand back quickly and stabbed again into what appeared to be soft flesh, like her own, with little real protection.

Her second attack was rewarded with a sharp blow to her hand. Her whole right hand went painfully numb, and she quickly lost track of her knife. Awkward hands grabbed at Anna and pushed her to the ground hard.

In desperation, Anna swept her legs sideways from her weakened position. Her efforts were once again rewarded with a firm contact, a pained squeal and another thump as her assailant hit the ground beside her. As they hit the ground, Anna scrambled on top of them and held on for all she was worth. If she failed, she might not be worth much.

The two rolled back and forth on the floor, grunting and groaning as they each tried to get the upper hand. After what felt like hours, but had to be a minute or less, Anna noticed her attackers struggles were getting weaker and weaker. Anna was eventually able to pin the other person under her, with one arm pinned to their own side by her legs. Pinning the other hand with one of her own, Anna reached for their throat with her free hand. Holding tight, Anna couldn't help but comment in a determined voice.

"NOT today."

Wheezing, the other person tried to say something that sounded like "please", but Anna couldn't take the chance of letting go. If she did in the darkness, it could and would likely mean her life was over.

When Anna realized that her assailant wasn't moving, and hadn't taken a breath in some time, she released her grip. That was easier said than done as her fingers had cramped into position and all but refused to open. Her hand shook from the cramps, exhaustion, and sheer relief she had survived. She stayed there for some time, waiting for a surprise attack that never came. As her adrenaline gave out, weariness overcame her and she collapsed on top of what appeared to be a young woman. The small firm breasts poking her in the stomach were a pretty good indicator. Idly, she also noted a sharp pain in her left shoulder blade as darkness overtook her.

"The assassin failed," indicated the captain, once again reporting to his lord. If he didn't know better, he would have said the lord hadn't moved since his last report about the meal.

"It matters not. No matter who survived, I would have won. The more Anna wins, the more delicious my victory will be. You're dismissed Captain."

"Thank you, my lord." Turning on his heal, he could hear the lord chuckling as he closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Refrozen Retribution

…As her adrenaline gave out, weariness overcame her and she collapsed on top of what appeared to be a young woman. The small firm breasts poking her in the stomach were a pretty good indicator. Idly, she also noted a sharp pain in her left shoulder blade as darkness overtook her.

Anna was eventually able to pry her fuzzy feeling eyes open again to the light coming from the next room. Idly, she noted that this was the softest bed she had slept on in a very long time. As realization hit her barely conscious mind, her eyes snapped open in a combination of panic and disgust. Apparently, she hadn't had the energy left over for her normal tossing and turning. She had woken up in the same place she had collapsed in. Her assassin was still pinned beneath her. Scrambling off of her would-be assassin, Anna's face mirrored her disgust with what she had done as well as her disgust for where she had slept. The sleep was good, just not the 'bed' she had used.

Looking down, she was able to confirm it was a small woman she had fought off. She was dressed in all black clothes, including a hooded mask that only marginally showed her vacant eyes. Removing the hood, Anna was shocked at how old the girl actually was.

'She can't be more than fourteen at the most! What kind of sick person uses children this way?' thinks a completely grossed out Anna. Looking up, Anna sees a jagged dagger with a bent tip. 'A very strong child at that.' Guilt slowly begins to gnaw at Anna's gut as she remembers the girl struggling to beg for her life while Anna deliberately choked the life out of her.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know how we came to this, and it doesn't mean much now. I'm still sorry." As Anna speaks, tears start creeping down her cheeks. "You had many years in front of you, and now another bad decision by me cut that short. I will make it up to you somehow. I don't know how yet, but I PROMISE I will."

Anna can feel her stomach churning as she turned her attention to the dagger. A stabbing pain in her shoulder blade causes her to wince as she picks up the weapon. 'I must have rolled over it while we were struggling. It must not have cut deep, or I would have bled out before I woke up.'

Anna tore a strip off the bottom of her dress to use as a makeshift belt for her newly acquired weapon. As Anna goes to put the dagger into her new belt, she sees just how much of the other girl's blood her dress had soaked up while she was unconscious. Suppressing her heaving gut by putting a hand over her mouth, she races from the room trying to reach her toilet. Part way there, her stomach gets the upper hand and she could feel the frothy liquid dribbling over her fingers and down her chin. It took all Anna's remaining will to keep what was left behind her hand until she could reach her stone throne.

After emptying her stomach and a couple minutes of dry heaving, Anna stripped down to her undergarments and washes out as much blood as she can in her sink. Once that was done, she cut more cloth off the bottom hem of her dress to use as a washcloth. With her skin clean as she could manage, she paused only briefly before removing the remainder of her undergarments to wash them. Again Anna swore she could hear lewd chuckling as she bent over her sink, but there was nobody there when she turned around. Remembering that the note said there would be watchers, Anna put her dress back on before cleaning the remaining blood from her undergarments. Once everything was clean as she could get it, she wasted no time getting completely dressed again.

As Anna left her toilet room, a new light caught her eye. The usually dark doorframe to her immediate left was lit for the first time. As she cautiously peeks into the room, it is in the typical square rooms, the same shape as the rest. She can see a stone counter on her left, a low area filled with water on the far right corner, and another dark doorframe in the middle of the right hand wall. The water for the low area appeared to be fed the same way as the sink in the toilet room. A hole in the wall about a foot above the water line feeds the pool, while excess water drains through another hole next to the dark doorway.

On the counter, Anna can see a set of folded cloths and another note in neat script:

'Congratulations, your training has begun. Continue to survive and you will continue to be rewarded. For now, you have earned access to the bathing room and a fresh change of clothes. Look after them better than your current ones as more replacements will be in short supply.'

"YOU ARE A BEAST!" screamed Anna to the air. Tears once again started flowing as she slowly collapsed next to the counter.

Once she was a gain able to control her emotions, she stood up to check the clothing. With such limited options, she couldn't afford to ignore her 'reward'. She could still see the bloodstains in her current clothes, and it was all she could do to not start crying again. Picking up the dress from the counter, she can see it is in the same style as her current one with only a few differences. There are no rips in this one and the material is both comfortable and sturdier. Another difference is the LACK of length in the new dress. Her old dress was floor length when she was taken, but the new one stopped just above the knees. Underneath the dress was a built in dagger sheath. To keep the sheath straight, the bottom had a strap to wrap around her leg. Pulling out her newly acquired weapon, she could tell they were made to go together. The only thing she wished there was included was new undergarments. Her choices were to wear the ones with the dead girl's blood stained in them, or go without. She wasn't sure which the better choice was.

Anna carried the new clothes over to the water, setting them down on the closest dry spot she could find. Stripping back down to her undergarments, she plunged quickly into the water. Likely being fed from the same water as the sink, she had expected cold. With the smaller quantity of water, she hadn't noticed just how cold it actually was. Anna felt like she was turning into an ice sculpture again, the water was that cold. Scrubbing herself as quickly as she could, including double scrubbing her unruly hair, she emerged from the water with her teeth chattering. It was about this time that Anna realized she had no towels to dry with. Ignoring the chuckling, she quickly stripped off her soaked undergarments and put the clean clothes on. Unless she wanted to be showing off skin under her dress, she quickly realized undergarments were definitely going to be necessary.

Anna threw her old clothes on the counter, keeping only the undergarments. Retreating rapidly to the bedroom, she laid out her undergarments to dry. Curling into the blankets in the very back corner of her bed, she couldn't help but think about the girl. Looking over to where she was laid out on the floor, it took her a moment to realize only a blood stain remained. Even that was sprinkled with sand to soak up whatever little bit was left. The body was gone without even a blood trail.

With Anna's next meal, she received another note in the child's script. She was scared that it may say there was going to another attack. Anna took a deep breathe before opening the note with shaking hands.

'Stay on gard princes. Can not warn of all ataks. Day or nite. Stil trying to reech Elsa.'


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the long delays. Working out of town currently, and my distractions persist. Will update when I can. Thanks to those who still follow me.

'Stay on gard princes. Can not warn of all ataks. Day or nite. Stil trying to reech Elsa.'

Time passed slowly for Anna. She had been there several days by her sketchy reckoning. Not knowing how long she was unconscious after being taken made it hard enough. The cycles of light and dark didn't seem to match her normal sleep times very well, so they didn't necessarily reflect the length of true days in the sunlight. Even two times with light seemed to be different lengths. The nights always felt long.

How she missed the sun! Elsa must be going crazy with worry by now. She could just imagine the lecture she was going to get for going out walking alone, not that she blamed her. She would be given a few days back home before that talk came. Well, Elsa had warned her. She was just being her usual stubborn self. 'Assuming I get out of here alive, I'll have to start listening more,' she berated herself.

After a few more dungeon days, she received two notes with her morning meal. Neither note was hidden. The first note was in the neat script she was growing to hate. It was a fast read as it only had four words: 'Elsa will never know.'

Opening the second note was a little more difficult due to a sticky red stain at the bottom of the note. Her face paled rapidly as she saw who it was addressed to.

'Quene Elsa.

Anna is fine but you must help her. I hop this note gets to you as I think master sispekts me. We are near the north border. I'll get you more derektions when I can.'

There was more to the note, but Anna could not read it. The Remaining words were illegible, because of the red sticky mess at the bottom of the note. Only now was Anna realizing that this might be her unknown ally's blood. Anna stared at the second note for almost a minute before pushing her food away. The hard bread and often dirty water rarely appealed. It appealed even less now. While slowly walking back to her bed in the next room, Anna barely noticed dropping the notes to the floor.

As Anna climbed into the very back corner of her bed, she began to realize what it may mean if her unknown ally was dead. Her escape was no longer possible with outside help. Based on the contents of the bloody note, no help was coming from Elsa in the near future as she never received it. As Anna pulls her knees up to her chest and tips her head down in despair, she could feel the wet tracks her silent tears were making. Now that the tears had made their presence known, it didn't take long for the sobbing to start. Anna sat there for a long time crying and asking herself why this kept happening to her. Unfortunately, no answers were forthcoming.

Frustration, however, was not in short supply and Anna soon felt she had to lash out somehow. The first strikes to the wall were not hard. As anger began to take over, her hammering just became harder and harder. Pounding with the bottom of her fist didn't seem to be very satisfying, so it wasn't long before she switched to full knuckle punches.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? WHY? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" screams Anna to the empty room. Her only answer is the chuckling coming from nowhere. Still Sobbing, Anna starts punching the wall as hard as she can, adrenaline allowing her to ignore the unsurprising bursts of pain. Small grunts occur with each contact. Frustration and lack of understanding cause Anna to ask a question again, punctuating the words with a fist of fury to the wall.

"Why" bang.

"Are" bang.

"You" bang.

"Doing this" bang.

"To me?" Bang, bang, bang.

Standing on the bed facing the wall, Anna leans forward to place her forehead on the cool surface. Absently, she notices blood splattered and dripping down the wall. Glancing down to her hands, the skin is raw with several nasty looking shallow cuts. Fortunately, nothing appeared to be broken. Even as she starts to notice the stinging, she lets her arms hang down limp. At the moment, she just didn't have the energy to care.

The whole situation was beginning to remind her of the incident last year with Elsa's delusions. She had lost hope then too. The only problem was that Kai wasn't there to give her a life line. 'How did I let myself stoop to this?' Anna asks herself as she watches a drop of blood fall off her knuckle to land next to her blankets.

As her adrenaline wore off more, Anna began to feel weakness in her legs, and pain in her hands. Sagging back down, she curled up into a tight ball as sobs broke forth again. Exhausted, Anna just lies there, ignoring her aching knuckles, as she almost eagerly allows sleep to take her. She really didn't want to be awake anymore if this was real. She hoped she would wake up from this nightmare soon, praying this was all just a dream.

When Anna awoke, her hands had stopped bleeding. A fair sized puddle soaked into the edge of her blanket and was so thick by now that it was almost solid. 'I must have been sleeping for a long time,' thought Anna. Rising quickly, Anna went back to her dining room to eat. Food didn't come often, and was never enough. She couldn't really afford to miss meals.

In her haste reaching for her bread, Anna knocked over her cup. Most of the water tended to pool on the indented table top, and she swore under her breath. Anna had learned early on that the bathroom water had a foul taste, so she couldn't afford to waste the spilled water. She really didn't want to learn what caused the horrid taste in the bathroom water by having to drink more of it.

Anna soaked up what she could with the bread, but the bread ran out long before the water was all sucked up. Throwing what little dignity she had left to the wind, she leans forward to suck up what she could and lick up what she couldn't get otherwise. She didn't have the energy to respond to the now familiar quiet laughter that came from the air.

'So this is how low I've sunk? What next?' thinks Anna, completely disgusted with herself. Anna was beginning to wonder just how much of the laughter was real, and how much she imagined. Either way, it felt real to her.

As the lanterns started to go out in the various rooms, Anna returned to her bed. She didn't really want to be uncomfortable in the dark, now that she had some food in her belly. As she wrapped up in her blankets, she never felt so alone, even after the death of her parents.

The captain entered the lord's chamber to report. As usual, the lord himself sat in the shadows.

"My Lord, she has new behaviors to report. She has been screaming to the air asking why we are doing this and pounding fists on the wall until they were bloody. She didn't even attempt to bandage them."

"Excellent, her training is progressing well. She is almost ready for the next stage. We must be careful here, or we'll send another girl in to kill her and Anna won't fight back. She can't be allowed to lose all hope. I would prefer her to actually survive her time here."

Looking confused, the captain continues. "There is more. After bloodying her fists, she went to sleep where she was. When she woke up and went back for food, she spilled her water. What she couldn't soak up with her bread, she actually licked up from the table. The guards' laughter didn't seem to bother her at all."

"Perhaps she is ready for the next stage, then. We're not ready to send in the new lamb, though. Some response is required, considering her deviation from her training. Send in the paired assassins tonight, and we'll see how she does. She still is showing some fire, so she's not completely broken yet. We can't let despair take her before they arrive."

"Excellent, my lord," replied the soldier uncertainly. "I need to bring up a problem I'm having regarding the guards watching over the princess. I've overheard several of them taking about going in to 'pay the princess a visit' since she appears to be controllable. I don't have an effective deterrent, if they decide to work together, or the authority to implement one."

"That's easy enough to remedy. If she so much as sees a guard, the guard in question will be flogged to death. Anybody touches her, directly or indirectly, and I'll have their hands cut off before releasing them into the forest. Glowing hot steel will be used to cauterize the wounds and keep them from bleeding to death before wild animals get to them. Anybody caught imposing themselves on the princess's person will be dealt with similarly with an extra amputation of the genitals, and being tied down over an anthill. The first person to complain gets ten lashes, the second gets twenty, and so on. I should think that will dissuade any further concerns. For the amount we pay them to keep quiet, they can satisfy those needs at a local tavern. Dismissed."

With a shudder, the captain turned to leave the room. What had he gotten himself into with this lord? Killing his own men didn't concern him, but he wanted the princess to survive?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for the long delays. Work is being annoying and the drama continues.

Fixed several grammar errors in chapter six, so it should make more sense now. Many thanks to the brave few who spoke up about my lack of sense.

In the immortal words of "The Man Song" – 'I don't want to hear a lot of whining – so I'll shut up!' On with our story.

As the lanterns started to go out in the various rooms, Anna returned to her bed. She didn't really want to be uncomfortable in the dark, now that she had some food in her belly. As she wrapped up in her blankets, she never felt so alone, even after the death of her parents.

Anna wasn't given very long to feel sorry for herself. It was only thirty minutes or so after the lights went out that she was brought back to reality by something prowling around in the dark. Despair quickly transformed into fear – fear of death barely overriding her fear of life. That fear doubled when she realized she heard two sets of footprints attempting stealth in the dark.

As quietly as she could manage, Anna eased herself off the foot of the bed and onto the floor. Tension became unbearable as she released her knife from its sheath and listened to the footprints coming closer. One seemed to be holding back as the other approached the bed. Holding her breath, it was all Anna could do to wait for the right moment to strike, assuming this was an attack. She couldn't see why they would be so stealthy if it wasn't.

Walking softly, careful footsteps slowly crossed the room to Anna's bed and stopped. After a moment of silence, Anna heard a sudden movement followed by metal hitting the stone of her bed. They had tried the same type of attack that failed to kill her last time.

Realizing her time had come, Anna leapt along the side of her bed, aiming to leap behind and past her attacker. She held one arm outstretched to grab the attacker on the way by. As she contacted her assailant, Anna realized the person's arms were by their side, allowing her to grab the person's arms as well. She allowed her forward momentum to swing her onto her attacker's back and bring her other arm around the other side holding the dagger. Linking both hands on the dagger, Anna wasted no time arching her back to pull the dagger into the person's chest.

Anna could feel the skin of her attacker give way under the pressure of the dagger. A shudder threatened her grip on the dagger as she felt it catch and then slip between two ribs. A gasp turned into ragged breaths, then gurgling as her victim struggled weakly to get away. Anna held on for dear life as her hands pressed up against the chest of what appeared to be another young woman.

She couldn't help but notice the dagger had penetrated the lung just below the breast, which now partially rested over her hand like a protective cover. Arms flailed feebly, rapidly getting weaker and weaker. Due to Anna's positioning and the poor angle of the arms Anna held, the girl hit her own breasts more than Anna. Fortunately, the girl seemed to have lost her grip on her weapon when Anna caught her by surprise.

Knowing there was a second person; Anna realized she couldn't linger on this person any longer. The second person was there in case Anna succeeded against the first. Anna pulled the dagger from the chest and disengaged as quietly as she could. She felt disgusted with herself as she realized the nub on the breast was firm as it went across the back of her hand. 'Anna, she's dying, she's a she, and this is no time to be noticing boobs at any rate. STAY FOCUSED!'

Anna used the dying girl's gurgling, ragged attempts at breathing as cover as she moved away as quietly as possible. The problem was that the same noises also covered the movements of the remaining attacker lurking in the darkness. Anna's ears strained to locate the remaining assassin in the pitch black.

Anna limited her movement between pauses to listen for her remaining attacker. Bare feet allowed Anna to move in near silence as she circled the room. Every once in a while, Anna would hear a boot scuff on the floor, but it was never enough to pinpoint a location.

Anna was on her second lap around the room, dancing with the unknown assailant, when she heard something hit the floor and slide. It was enough for her to know the attacker was on her right and not far away. Attempting the same move as before, Anna attempts to leap past with her arm extended to the side. Anna felt as though she was flying through the air forever. She was just realizing she must have missed when she contacted the floor awkwardly with her foot. Anna stumbled a few paces before stopping.

'Damn, missed them and I'm sure they heard me land! DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! It would be easier to fight Loki than this person!' thinks Anna in frustration.

While trying to dodge to the right before her attacker could close, Anna felt pain suddenly explode in her left arm. Anna could feel her arm being cut into, but not cleanly as the weapon's guard also hit sideways beside the cut. She had been played. Her attacker had thrown something to make noise. The oldest trick in the book, and Anna had fallen for it. Now she had given away her position and was wounded as well.

'Moving sideways must have turned the blade before cutting deep,' though Anna. Though her upper arm was on fire, the arm still appeared serviceable for the moment. While fighting in the darkness, Anna couldn't gauge the true extent of the injury.

'No time to worry about that now!' thinks Anna as she dives low to her side. Knowing the attacker will have heard her, Anna reverses the roll as quickly as she can, praying they were as inexperienced as the other attackers.

Anna could hear metal on stone in the spot she had just vacated. Still lying on the floor, a desperate retaliation is all Anna can attempt without opening herself to another attack. Lying on her back, Anna is able to brace herself slightly as she kicks at her attacker's legs. It only takes a moment for her attacker to hit the ground with a feminine sounding grunt, making the odds slightly better for Anna.

To even the odds even more, Anna grabs at her attacker's foot with her weaker left arm. As soon as she gets a semisolid grip, she swings her dagger around aiming for the calf of her attacker. Skin tears and her blade cuts into the tougher muscle as Anna connects. Just as Anna feels the dagger connect with bone, a foot lands on Anna's left hand, freeing the captive leg Anna just sliced into.

Not wishing to be stabbed herself, Anna dances away before her attacker can bring her own weapon to bear. She was barely clear before she heard metal scraping on stone again. Knowing her prey wasn't going anywhere fast, she circled around silently to attack from another angle.

Pouncing at her target, she is dismayed to only be able to contact an arm. Stabbing as quickly as she can, Anna is able to apply another wound to her attacker. Pain rocks Anna's world as a fist connects with the side of her head before she can roll away this time. Rolling away becomes very difficult when all you can see are stars, and up appears to be in three directions.

The weight of a body landing on her rapidly brings her world into focus. Feeling the weight shift for a strike, Anna realized she no longer has her own dagger. Reaching out to try and catch the descending arm, Anna realizes her aim was off as she feels a wrist sliding down the outside of her own arm.

Deflected, Anna can hear the weapon striking the ground hard beside her head. However, she is rewarded for her efforts as she hears the weapon skitter away after hitting the ground. Rolling back and forth, Anna and her adversary each struggle to get the upper hand. During one such roll where Anna is pinned to the ground, she can feel the flat of a weapon under her left shoulder blade. Letting go with her right hand, Anna shifts to make the blade accessible over her shoulder. As her hand closes on the handle of the weapon, Anna can feel a hand clutch at her throat. As her air is painfully choked off, she makes a wild swing with a weapon that feels very comfortable in her hand. Idly, she notes that she may have found her dagger. Not that it really mattered at the moment though.

Once again, Anna feels blade to skin as she scores a glancing blow. Despite knowing how feeble the hit felt, she could still feel blood spraying across her face from the cut. The hand around her throat spasmed from the blow, but held firmly. Stars invaded Anna's vision as she hears her own weapon fly away from her weak grip and clatter across the floor.

Just like the dawn, the stars faded from Anna's eyes after a minute. Briefly, Anna thought she was dying. The thought was strangely comforting, thinking it was finally over and that this was the end. It didn't take Anna long to realize that her vision was returning and the grip on her throat was weakening. Blood dripped from a gash from mid throat to the tip of her attacker's jaw, making Anna's face slick with the sticky mess.

Batting at the hand, Anna was able to knock it away from her raw throat. Not waiting for the other person to retaliate, Anna flipped her attacker to the side and rolled on top. While not a deep cut, she must have nicked an artery in the neck, and the blood came out in little pulses. With the high energy used from the battle, and the lack of blood reaching the brain, her opponent was slowing and becoming disoriented.

Feeling a burst of relief that this was going to end in her favor, Anna pinned her attacker to the ground and let her lucky strike on her opponent's neck line finish the battle. Her opponent's struggles became weaker and weaker as Anna pinned her to the ground. Every effort her opponent made just sped up the inevitable.

A quiet plea of "Please, no. Don't let me die. Please!" came to Anna in the darkness. Once again, it appeared her captor was using children, or more specifically young girls, to attack Anna. If he wanted Anna dead, why did he send somebody inexperienced enough for Anna to defeat? It made no sense!

Returning her thoughts to the girl under her, she responded as tears started dripping from her blood covered cheeks. "I can't help you now if I wanted to. You've lost so much blood, and I don't really know how to stop the bleeding. I'm sorry."

"Princess Anna? I – What are you doing here? Why is he getting us to attack you? I only attacked so they wouldn't kill me, but I didn't recognize you until I heard your voice. I'm s-sorry, my lady. I never intended…" The girl's voice faded out to silence before she could finish.

Anna just sat there for some time holding her attacker as she faded from consciousness, and then stopped breathing all together. Silent tears streamed freely to mingle with the dead girl's blood on her face. Anna's fear turned to anger, keeping her adrenaline going longer than normal as she sat on the girl's stomach. When exhaustion finally took over, Anna once again collapsed on her attacker, her arms so rubbery that she was unable to hold herself up any longer.

Without the energy remaining to move herself, she allowed the darkness to claim her consciousness once again. It was far easier to remain where she was than to find the sink or the tub in the dark to wash off. She doubted she could find all the blood anyway. As the darkness closed on her, she let out another muffled sob and imagined she deserved to be left in the blood of the innocent girls she had been unwittingly murdering for them.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Story was starting to sound too much like Refrozen by fear, so I had to get this up ASAP. Hope you enjoy. Remember, helpful reviews give me more incentive to get chapters done. Thanks to all that review.

Without the energy remaining to move herself, she allowed the darkness to claim her consciousness once again. It was far easier to remain where she was than to find the sink or the tub in the dark to wash off. She doubted she could find all the blood anyway. As the darkness closed on her, she let out another muffled sob and imagined she deserved to be left in the blood of the innocent girls she had been unwittingly murdering for them.

It wasn't long before Anna opened her eyes again, as she heard the chirping of birds. Anna was alone in a forest at a small clearing and, for once, immediately wide awake.

'What have they done now? Knocked me out again and moved me?' wondered Anna. Anna's attempt to get up was hampered by a tree root clutching at her leg. It was wrapped around her ankle several times. Examining the root, she came to a strange realization. It had no end. It wrapped several times snuggly around her ankle and seamlessly rejoined itself. It caused no pain, even when she pulled at the root. 'I don't think even this guy could do this. What the heck?'

For several minutes, Anna worked at loosening the root's grip on her leg. Her best efforts failed to loosen the root at all. Pulling the root from the ground had no effect; she couldn't even pull an extra inch of root out of the ground. Whatever plant it was, she couldn't even damage it with her nails. Letting out a huff, Anna gave up and sat back onto her buttocks.

The snap of a twig behind her gave Anna reason to pause. Anna was trapped in the middle of a forest clearing, without so much as long grass to hide her. She couldn't run or hide. Turning slowly with a slight shake of fear, Anna was shocked to find one of Elsa's ice statues of the previous year walking carefully into the clearing. Shaped just like Elsa, it wore a belt that Anna hadn't seen in a year. In fact, the belt had been buried in the cemetery, next to her parents.

"Hello Anna."

"Hazel? Where am I?"

"You're lying asleep in a dungeon on top of a dead assassin."

"OK, I remember that," said Anna with a shudder. "Where am I now?"

"Nothing has changed Anna; I'm coming to you through a dream."

"Hazel, you have NO idea how glad I am to see you. Can you come here and help me get my foot free?"

"I'm afraid I can't come any closer," said Hazel from about five steps away. "I would crumble to pieces and this dream would quickly become a nightmare. Because I am interfering, you are being spared from experiencing it."

"Then why are you here?"

"There are things you need to know. Things that will help you survive what you are going through right now. You have an inner strength and a good heart that cannot be rivaled in this world. Your sister sees this and appreciates it more than you will ever be able to admit to yourself. But that is not all."

"Magic is in your blood, Anna. I don't mean Elsa in this case. You have your own magic. You cannot run from it now that it has escaped into the open. It was delayed through the efforts of the trolls when they tried to 'remove all magic, even memories of magic', and has been all but dormant for an extra eleven years."

"You've been bursting with magic for years, while your sister was in seclusion. It never really made its presence known until the disastrous coronation for Elsa. You affected your sister during the argument with her. The first obvious effect of YOUR magic came later while you were searching for your sister."

"Hazel, I'm sure this will make more sense when I've thought it through more, but what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Olaf. Anna, your sister created him and animated him, but no more. He sat right where she created him until your need and your magic combined and came into play. Olaf got a personality, will to live, and his dreams of summer from you. He didn't know why he loved you from the start, but he did. It was all because of you."

"When your sister was injured last year, your need once again called on your magic for aid. Without conscious TRAINED direction, the end result only caused more problems. This is where Della came from. She was pulled from the little used darker side of Elsa's personality. As your need was increased, not decreased by Della, it called on your magic to draw from your sister again, and it gave me a soul of my own."

"You have created Olaf, Della, and me through undirected magic. Marshmallow never really gained a free will. He was always an obedient soldier, doing exactly what he was told to do, no more. He was animated but without internal direction."

"I need you now, Hazel! I need you to come back and protect me. I have nobody! Why would you crumble, when I need you desperately right now?"

"There are two reasons for this. The first is rooted in your emotions. Magic is not based on theory, logic, or science. With your emotions out of control, so is your magic. Without training, you are dangerous to all you have created in the past. There is no telling what you could do. While emotions are mostly suppressed in this dream for everybody who appears here, strong emotions can still cause havoc. There is no telling what the end result would be. Your emotions have been off balance since your sister was attacked last year. There are things you must let go of, and cannot without help. Survive this and get the help and control you need from the trolls, and we can be together again."

"The second reason is much more straightforward. When your magic and desperation opened the path for me to come in, others would be able to reach you as well. In this case, Della is the concern. Isn't that right, Della? The proximity crumbling is there to protect Anna from those who could subtly harm her, like you could?"

"Well played, Hazel! I didn't think you saw me follow you here. You're more devious than I thought for a coward."

"Those were Elsa's and your initial limits on me. Anna never saw me that way, and I've moved beyond those limits with her help."

Clap, clap. "Hazel, you have improved. So Anna, is it getting easier each time somebody has to die? You denied it as you killed me, but do you really believe that anymore in your heart?"

"Yes, I stand by what I said. Killing is not easier for me. I feel sick to my stomach every time I'm forced to kill. That is especially true now that I know I'm being forced to kill innocent women."

"Would it help to know why they were chosen?" asked Della.

"You know why?"

"Absolutely. Their parents are loyal to you and Elsa. He can't stand that."

"But why young girls?"

"Boys tend to be stronger fighters. He's playing games on many different levels. It all has the same goal though."

"Who is he? What is this goal?"

"That would be telling."

"Who are the parents of these young women?"

"That would also be telling. Suffice to say the girls are pampered by their powerful parents. Maybe I'll tell you more next time. So you're feeling sick every time you kill?"

"Yes," replies a distracted Anna.

"You realize that wasn't answering my question. My dear, that actually had nothing to do with it at all. You've accepted there are times when killing may be necessary and acted on it. Your hesitation before cutting a person's throat has become almost non-existent. Learning to enjoy killing a person takes more time than you've given it. It's a big change for you and true enjoyment will take time. Just wait until you have a person begging for their life in total fear and you still kill them, just for the fun of it. When you can do that without hesitation…"

"OK, Della. I think Anna gets the point. Get her emotional right now and neither of us may survive."

"Meh. She's already killed me once, and did a good job of it too. What's one more…? Oh don't look at me like that Hazel. Fine, I'll stop this time."

"Anna, I still stand by you in death, as I did in life. You are, and always shall be, my friend. Every time you visit me at my grave, I've been there. EVERY TIME. It wasn't until now that your need was great enough to allow me to contact you. I saw you kidnapped, but had no substance. I had no voice to warn you or anyway to allow you to escape. It tore me up to watch you taken against your will. I'm so glad Elsa is your sister. She cares for you greatly."

"By the way, please thank your sister for the grave marker and its placing. It has allowed me to stay close to you, and I feel deeply honored," said Hazel, suddenly shy and unsure of herself again.

"Of course I'll thank OUR sister. You're family, whether you want to be or not. Thank you, Hazel. As long as this doesn't last much longer, I will try to do as you ask with the trolls. Strange as it sounds, thank you too, Della. Between the two of you, you really put things in perspective. It can be less brutally honest, but it does add perspective.

Della looks at Anna oddly for a moment before smiling and chuckling. "You really are a rare find. Even now, you find a good thing about my return. You really are amazing, Anna. You still owe me some toe kisses, and I will collect, someday. No hammers in hand, and fully bound next time."

"Just try it Della, I'll be waiting," retorted Anna.

"I love that, even now, you are still so cheeky! There is hope for you yet if you can get that cheekiness working FOR you. You may be alright yet," responded Della before walking away laughing.

"Why do I feel better after talking with her? Is it the talk or that she leaves? Not worth worrying about right now though," commented Anna to the air.

"Anna, time is short. Remember to get the trolls to unblock the magic when you get through this. I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Wait, why am I being held back by a root if this is my dream? Can't I make it go away if I try hard enough?"

"It's there to protect us. We could have used chains, but that would be too close to your current predicament. Too close to your current confinement, and way more hurtful than necessary. Take care, Anna. Don't lose hope. If possible, we will meet again."

Everything starts to darken towards grey and then black as Anna responds with "I Hope so."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Life interfering on a regular basis lately, but don't give up hope. Taxes haven't shut my internet down, and death hasn't claimed me yet. The story shall still go on! Speaking of which…

"Take care, Anna. Don't lose hope. If possible, we will meet again."

Everything starts to darken towards grey and then black as Anna responds with "I Hope so."

Anna could hear the distant bubbling of water as her senses slowly started to respond. She ached all over, and her left arm was throbbing just above the elbow. Anna seriously hoped the servants would let her sleep just a bit longer, as her bed was very comfortable and she really didn't feel like moving.

Letting out a groan and struggling to focus her eyes, Anna got an up close look at her bed and jumped up, suddenly very awake. Once again, she had been asleep on top of a dead assassin. This was becoming way too common. "How come the only comfortable place I can find to sleep is on top of a dead person?" Anna wails in disgust. Muffled laughter once again seeps into the room from no definable source, the only response to her query.

Listening to the water running in the bathing room brought Anna's attention back to her own cleanliness, or lack thereof. Looking down, her arms and legs were covered in blood. They had been hanging off the body she had been collapsed on, and her clothes had soaked up a fair portion of the assassin's blood. Even the hemline and side of her dress had managed to dangle into the pooling blood. She imagined she looked like a torture victim from all the half dried blood, definitely not the suitable image for a princess of any country!

Anna's trek to the bathing room bordered on running, where she immediately stripped down completely. Every single garment was stained by blood and no small amount of it either. She was unable to tell how much was hers and how much belonged to the other girl. Anna wasn't sure, but she thought she got away with only ringing ears from a punch, being choked, and a minor cut to her upper back (from rolling onto her knife).

Dunking herself into the frigid water, she took extra time to completely scrub her hair and body. She emerged from the water with chattering teeth, feeling less like a walking corpse. Throughout her bath, Anna ignored the ghostly lewd sounding laughter. It still came from all corners of the room at the same time.

Retrieving her clothes, she spent another twenty minutes washing out as much blood as she could. She didn't bother getting dressed again immediately, until she was finished washing the last garment. 'They're not going to see anything new at this point. I haven't grown horns or anything.'

It wasn't until she reemerged to get dressed that she saw the clean clothes on the block by the doorway. She could see another note on the clothes in the neat script.

'Well done, Anna. You're progressing well. You continue to surprise me. You have earned a reward, despite your transgressions. These clothes are now yours, and you can have access to two more rooms.'

"What the heck? Is somebody toying with me?" shouted Anna in frustration. As expected, the only response was the laughter. Anna was beginning to think that the laughter wasn't real. She knew she had an overactive imagination, and with the current situation, she could be hallucinating this time. Imagination or not, she could only take this one step at a time.

Examining the clothes, the number of differences was minimal compared to her current clothing, but the differences themselves were significant. These clothes were aimed at a more active individual. The pattern of the dress was very close to her current one, with a significantly lower neck line in the bodice. 'Any lower and her waistband would be higher,' thought Anna. The hem line was much higher than her current attire, barely covering her pelvis. The cloth itself was sturdier than she normally wore. If it wasn't for the material the dress was made from, she might have thought someone had stolen one of her dresses and shortened it.

Trying on the clothing, Anna was amazed by how well the clothing fit. The clothing almost hugged she body without restricting movement in the slightest. Very little was left to the imagination about the shape of Anna's body, or how well endowed her feminine parts were. While her breasts were lifted to emphasize temptation, sudden movement would not be causing her to slip out either. The fit was much better than her previous set of clothing rewards.

No built in sheath this time, but a separate sheath was present with its own belt and leg strap. Even if worn under the new dress, access would easier than with her current clothes. There would be no concealed weapons wearing these!

Laying out her previous clothes to dry, she turned to see both door frames were now completely lit. Peeking through the newly lit door, she saw another square room the same size and shape as the rest. There was a door on the opposite wall with no obvious way to pull it open. On the right wall, an open door frame led to another lit room. On the left wall, a small bookshelf was built into the wall. A small display stand at the far end was labeled as "Book of the Day".

A single book was present on the display, while the bookshelf itself was currently empty. As she walked over to the book, Anna could see the red leather cover with the title of "On The Run". Examining the book, she saw it was about an exposed spy trying to evade capture as they raced for the border. Turning to the last pages, Anna saw that the spy was actually caught and executed by the people he betrayed. Below the last line of the story was a handwritten note in the same neat script.

'The Moral: Just like the spy, there is no escape for you.'

As she went to replace the book on the stand, another page fell out of the book. This note was written larger than the neat script. It had a flow to it that was very different than that of her captor.

'Help is still coming. You are still not alone, although I am the last of those willing to help you. Keep these notes hidden, or preferably destroy them. While I cannot hide the fact you are receiving notes, if they find out who I am or what I tell you, we are BOTH dead.'

Pocketing the note, Anna heads to the door for closer inspection. The door is a solid hardwood with steel bands reinforcing it in a pattern of diamonds. There was no place Anna could slip between the bands, even if the wood was not there. No latch or release was present on this side of the door. No place on the door was loose to the touch. There really appeared to be no way to open this door from this side. The door would not push open. What little leverage she could get by pulling with fingers under the door did nothing. 'The bloody thing won't even rattle!' thought Anna as she hit the door in frustration.

Moving to the remaining door frame, Anna cautiously peers into the next room. Following the same pattern as the rest, the room is square and about the same size as the others. Three other ways out are visible, with only the left one being dark. Looking through the doorframe on the opposite wall, Anna can see her dining area. The right wall would likely lead to the area outside her bathroom.

The middle of the room holds something new. Two chairs line are in the center with a little table between them. The chairs are contoured like a lounger. As usual, the chairs are made from stone blocks built into the floor. Actual cushions are on them. Even though they are very thin, they appear to be softer than her bed.

'Again, two chairs. Why two chairs? What do they want from me? This makes no sense!'

"JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!" shouted Anna. Only the usual chuckling comes back in response.

As far as she could tell, it had been days or weeks since she had talked to anybody real. She couldn't count the dream about Hazel and Della, as it may not have been real. She couldn't recall what happened in the dream, but she had almost overwhelming urges to go visit the Trolls. Perhaps they could retrieve the experience and tell her if Hazel really was with her. Maybe they could block the nightmares that happened every night. Only a few times did she sleep in relative peace. She knew she dreamed, and she felt safer after she woke up, but she had no clue what she dreamed about.

Over the next few "days", Anna continued to receive new books. Every book had a moral added at the end. Each one emphasized her confinement, her inability to change anything, the benefits of conforming, and even a book on fighting techniques emphasizing how important self defense was and the benefit of precise, fast attacks. Each book was a quick read, and gave no clue to what her captors wanted.

As usual, boredom has never been Anna's friend. Growing up basically alone (except for her parents) had hardened her some, but boredom usually led to getting in trouble. Since it was hard to get in trouble in her current situation, all she was left with was her thoughts. Anna eventually started the exercises in the training book to prevent boredom. Eventually, Anna realized something about her captors.

'Every reward is an empty reward. What benefit do I get from any of the rewards thus far? Food rewards keep me alive longer than the regular food I get, better weapons to defend myself against other prisoners all for their entertainment, and clothes that don't really keep me warm at night but gives them a better view of my body. We don't really get anything out of the rewards. Even the reading material they provided was used to help keep us… I mean me… in line. The moral added at the back of the books was used to emphasize my confinement, or directing me to follow orders I don't understand. I'm stuck playing somebody's sick little game, and they won't tell me the rules.'

Nothing made sense.

Anna decided to make a study of the books she had been given, rather than give in to boredom and further despair. 'If they are using the books to groom me for something, maybe I can figure it out based on plot and the morals added at the end.'

Anna spent a few hours in each book, rereading over and over, looking for a common thread. Any meaning she could glean from the stories, she analyzed over and over. After a couple days, all she could figure was that she was becoming a weapon. There was no indication why yet. There was no common threads for the targets in the stories she had been given. If they were trying to confuse her, their success rate was overwhelming.

Several times, Anna had to cut her study short because of failing light. She always moved back to the bedroom to sleep, as it was more easily defended. The couches were more comfortable, but had more directions she could be attacked from. It often became VERY frustrating to be interrupted. There was nothing left to prevent her from losing hope when it became dark.

The soldier entered the dimly lit room and saluted the lord in from of him.

"Report. Is she reading the stories we provided?"

"Yes, my lord. She seems to be studying them from the amount of times she rereads them. Sometimes she goes back to look something up in a different book, before returning to her current one."

"Excellent. She's programming herself through the repetition. Her training progresses well."

"She has also started the exercises from the self defense book, usually right after each meal. Not the most ideal time to train, but she is limbering up."

"Even better. I had expected her boredom to get the better of her, but never this well. She needs to be taught restraint as well though. Send in the lamb. Anna's reaction to this will give us a better idea how to proceed. I expect a full report after the initial contact."

"Yes, my lord. In my last report a couple days ago, I advised you of another unexpected note. We still have no idea who sent it, or what it said. She didn't even hide dropping the note into the river in the bathroom. There have been no further notes since."

"I have my suspicions. Keep searching, but don't act against them without consulting me first. We were too hasty with the last traitor in our ranks, and now we have to root out another one. I want this one alive and taken without any prior indications of suspicion. If you have to, focus on an innocent to get them to reveal themselves. Draven or Liguem would be good to target. Both are idiots, but loyal to a fault. We can explain after. I don't think either of them could lie about not really being a suspect, so we can't warn them in advance."

"Understood, my lord."

"And Captain…"

"Yes, my lord?"

"If this one dies before being caught, I might have to question your loyalty to me. I will be questioning somebody before the week is out, or I'll be looking at the guards for suspects. A good commander is always aware of what his soldiers are up to, and should take responsibility for his men. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, my lord. If I may be excused, I will personally take control of the search and find new leads immediately."

"Excellent, captain. Dismissed."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Real life is being a real pain, but I refuse to give in. The story shall go on, even if it kills me!

And now, we return to your irregularly scheduled program…

Several times, Anna had to cut her study short because of failing light. She always moved back to the bedroom to sleep, as it was more easily defended. The couches were more comfortable, but had more directions she could be attacked from. It often became VERY frustrating to be interrupted. There was nothing left to prevent her from losing hope when it became dark.

After a couple hours sleep, Anna woke up to voices coming from the darkness. It sounded like another young girl, but this was the first she time heard anyone speaking. 'Of course, all the assassins thus far have been young girls. Why would this one be any different?' thought Anna. As quietly as possible, Anna readied her dagger and headed for her dining area, taking small comfort in the pitch black and her growing skills at stealth.

"Hello…? Hellooo… is anybody there?"called a scared voice. Following the voice, Anna made her way from the dining room to her sitting area. Every once in a while, Anna could hear the girl trip, or grunt as she walked into something. This assassin seemed to have trouble in the stealth department.

'This is no different than the previous assassins. She is being deliberately clumsy to draw me out, another assassin is following her waiting to attack me, or this is something new. All things considered, I can't afford to take any chances."

Following the voice, she entered the library. It wasn't long after that Anna started to hear crying from the girl's direction. There were no signs of a second assassin as far as she could tell. 'I can't let this change what I have to do. Hesitation could get me killed.'

The girl seemed to be following the right hand walls based on the noises she made. This was basically confirmed when the girl stumbled through the doorframe leading to the bath. Anna had been in her little maze for weeks now, and knew the rough layout of each room from memory. It didn't hurt the rooms were all the same size and the door frames were almost exactly in the middle of the walls. Walking across the library directly to the door, she made no sound.

A sudden squeal, followed by a splash and spluttering covered Anna further as she entered the bathing room herself. She could hear the girl emerging from the water, her teeth chattering in the darkness. Quiet sobbing reached Anna's ears and wrenched at her heart. As the girl reached dry ground, Anna made a decision. Leaping at the girl, Anna tackled her and quickly pinned her to the floor before the surprised girl could react. Anna could hear the little gasp as she connected, and the air rushing from her lungs as Anna landed on top of her.

Without waiting for her to recover her breath, Anna flipped the girl onto her stomach and sat on her back. She held both the girl's hands above her head as she worked to take a breath. It was definitely a smaller girl, thankfully, so Anna had no trouble holding both hands with only her left hand. Once she had a firm grip and the girl was fully pinned, Anna finally waited for the girl to catch her breath. The girl trembled uncontrollably in fear as she lies under Anna larger form.

Once the girl was breathing somewhat normally again, Anna began searching the girl for weapons with her right hand. The girl began to cry harder the more places Anna searched and was almost wailing as Anna attempted to search the inside of her legs near her crotch.

"Be quiet and be still. I'm searching for weapons, not trying to get friendly. One wrong move and I won't hesitate to slit your throat. I really don't want to, but I will defend myself from anything I think may threaten me.

"I don't have any!" wailed the girl.

"BE QUIET! I'll be the judge about whether you are armed or not. Don't lie to me and don't give me a reason to feel threatened by you, and you may actually survive this night."

"You attacked me first," whispered the girl.

"I've had enough people try to kill me in the dark, so I can't afford to take any chances. Count your lucky stars that you are still alive right now. NOW BE QUIET. I need to hear if somebody came in with you. If I think you're making noise to cover somebody else's movements down here, your throat and my dagger will become closer friends than you really want to be. Don't force me to hurt you."

"Yes ma'am," whimpered the girl as she stifled a sob. Anna could still feel the girl trembling under her, and the little jerks as she silently sobbed. To her credit, she barely made any sounds at all. Anna sat there in the dark after she finished searching her. She couldn't chance letting her go until the lights came back on. After about ten minutes of silence, Anna made another decision. Carefully, she stood up without releasing the girl's hands.

"Get up."

"What?" the confused girl quietly asked.

"You're comfortable enough to sit on for hours until the lights come back on, but it must be uncomfortable for you. Hold my hand with both of yours and come with me. If you really want to stay on the cold floor while I sit on you for the next several hours, you can. The choice is yours."

It only took a moment for Anna to feel the girl start to get up. She could imagine the girl nodding in the dark, not remembering Anna could not see her. Not once did Anna lose contact with either of the girl's hands. 'Don't get complacent Anna! She could be waiting for you to drop your guard!'

Once they were both standing, Anna led her back to the sitting room. Leading her to the chairs in the middle, Anna sat her down with her legs together. Once again, Anna sat on the girl, straddling her thighs so they were face to face.

'Not an ideal position, but I'll feel her tense up if she tries to attack.'

Anna sat there for the next few hours, keeping most of her weight off the girl's legs. While neither girl spoke, they both seemed to be trying to accommodate the other girl's small movements to remain comfortable. Anna was amazed at how well the young girl followed directions to the letter.

'This is almost too easy. Keep your guard up Anna! Keep your Yawn guard up!'

Several times before the lanterns relit, Anna realized her head was hanging down. It was a struggle to remain awake but she couldn't afford to sleep until she had a better idea what was happening. With only a couple hours of sleep, Anna felt more like the walking dead than a prison guard. Sitting down on a nice, comfortable (if skinny) lap did not help.

Eventually, Anna picked up her head off the other girl's shoulder and looked around though bloodshot eyes. The lanterns had been lit and she could see everything in the room. Looking at her pillow, she could see the big drool mark on the girl's shoulder. Snapping her eyes to her prisoners, she could see the girl smiling, and attempting not to laugh, as she stared back at her. Everything came back to her all at once. With a startled jerk, Anna tipped backward and slid backward off her perch to land unceremoniously on the floor. Windmilling arms failed to have any effect whatsoever.

While Anna stood up rubbing her hind quarter, she got a closer look at the girl she sitting watch over. Behind a face trying its hardest not to laugh, Anna saw a girl of about ten years of age. Penetrating eyes peeked out from under greasy black hair. Her skin was very tanned and her clothes were in tatters. The rips in her clothes left little to the imagination, including that she was only barely into puberty at best.

"Alright then. Since we're both awake, I'm going to do a more thorough weapon search. Depending on what I can find, we'll talk after. If you would, please lay down on the floor on your stomach. Put your hands straight up above your head."

As the girl complied silently, Anna was glad to get out from under her gaze. From the heat she could feel on her cheeks, she wasn't sure if she had ever been that embarrassed or that careless. 'She could have killed you! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Anna did a very thorough search, leaving nothing to chance or the imagination. The girl remained silent and still throughout. Anna did hesitate before searching more sensitive areas, but she wasn't ready to let her guard down again. The girl visibly tensed and bit her lip while Anna did a surface check, but she offered no resistance. It was obvious to Anna that she was relieved it wasn't an invasive check.

Rolling the girl over, Anna repeated her search on the newly exposed side. Again, Anna paused before checking into more sensitive areas, saving those for last. The girl didn't have breasts to speak of, but the check on the legs and between was uncomfortable for both girls. It became even more uncomfortable when Anna realized the younger girl was becoming aroused. The check ended very quickly after that realization.

'And I thought I was embarrassed before!'

"OK, you're… clean. Sooo, how 'bout you tell me your name young lady," stammered Anna as she motioned the girl to take a seat.

"P-patty," said the girl as she took a seat. After a brief look at Anna, she dropped her eyes to the ground.

'Great, just great! She thinks I'm into groping little girls! What next?' thought Anna as her face somehow managed to redden even more. "OK, Patty. I'm Anna. How did you get here?"

"I have no idea. I was passing through a small town north of the capital when four guards stopped me. They said they were looking for kidnapers in the area. After answering a few questions, somebody behind me hit me in the head. A bag was pulled over my head while I was trying to remember which way was up. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the dark here. You found me shortly after."

"Sounds familiar. I was brought here the same way after talking to two palace guards outside Arendelle castle. Do you know anything about our captors?"

Patty just shook her head. "I haven't talked to anybody since I was taken."

"Can you defend yourself in a fight?"

"I'm not going to attack you."

"That's not the point. I told you before people have tried to kill me. Well, three people have tried since I was abducted. Successful defense has rewards above continuing to live. Failure does not appear to be an option."

"I don't think I'd be much help. When it came to fighting, I've usually been able to either talk my way out of trouble, or outrun the other person. When I've been caught, it's never been a fair fight. I've always been outnumbered. Doesn't give you much time to learn how to fight before they knock you down."

"Well, in that case, avoid a fight here too. Stay by me and I'll do my best to protect you. Don't bother trying to talk your way out; I don't think they'll listen. As long as you don't stab me in the back or sabotage my protection, you'll come to no harm from me. Be forewarned, treachery cannot be tolerated while we're trapped here."

Anna paused to look at the girl. Patty took a moment to think before nodding.

"Should anything happen, hide. If it's dark, hide in a corner so I have a rough idea where you may be. Be as still as you can when hiding, especially if it's dark. Each of the attacks thus far has happened in the dark, but there is no guarantee of safety during lit hours."

Patty nodded again when Anna paused. Anna could see the fear and uncertainty lining the younger girl's face.

"Patty, I'm taking a big chance in trusting you this soon after we met. I don't really know you, and you don't know me if what you said before is true. Make no mistake, this is a very dangerous place. If an attack comes in the dark, I find them by listening to how they move. If I hear you but I'm not sure where you really are, I could hurt you badly. I could even kill you before I know I'm after the wrong person." Putting a hand under Patty's chin, she brought her head up to look her in the eye. "This is about as serious as it gets Patty. While I would prefer to lead them away in case I cannot win, you're not so defenseless if I'm nearby. I need to know, do you think you can hide quietly, or will I need to draw attackers away from where you are hiding?"

"I-I can do it."

"Good girl. I'll do everything I can to get us through this." Reaching over, Anna gives Patty a hug around the shoulders. She couldn't help but smile when it was tentatively returned after a moment of hesitation. When Patty realized Anna really wasn't going to hurt her, Anna could feel her hug turn into a desperate clinging. Deliberately relaxing muscles she hadn't realized were tense, Anna assured her "We'll get through this… together."

As Anna looked down at Patty, she was reminded of the warm hugs she used to get from Elsa when they were little. How long had it been since she had been hugged by anybody? For the last year, Kristoff had been very supportive, but treated her like a piece of wet paper he was trying to peel off a table. He seemed scared to touch her. Now she realized just how much she missed that touch. Idly, Anna wondered what Elsa had been doing since she was taken, and desperately wished they were together now. A single tear glistened in her eye as she thought about her sister.

"My Lord, she has taken your lamb under her protection."

"Of course she did. I knew she would. People less fortunate than herself will ALWAYS be her weakness." As usual, the lord sat in a darkened area of the room. This time, he was nursing a glass of red wine.

"What are your orders?"

"Give them time to get attached to one another. It will make Anna's training all the easier. Lengthen to amount of light they get by at least an hour or two. In a few days, we'll either send in another lamb, or the lion. Either way, I'm satisfied that she has become more stable now that a helpless somebody relies on her. My chance at revenge on the monster of Arendelle has just increased tenfold. If she was any more predictable, this would be too easy. Keep me updated on any changes, and I'll inform you what the next course of action when the time comes. Until then, I have a loose end to attend to. Dismissed."

"My Lord," replied the captain before turning to leave. Idly, he noted that was one of their more comfortable meetings. He was beginning to wonder if the pay was really enough if he had to go though many more of these meetings.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm still here and writing. Rough draft is on page 80 (handwritten) and climbing, while I've only posted just over 36 of those pages after this chapter. Short, but I'm going to try and catch up on my typing. Not sure if my voice recognition program or my microphone is the problem, but I'm stuck with doing this by hand. :(

As Anna looked down at Patty, she was reminded of the warm hugs she used to get from Elsa when they were little. How long had it been since she had been hugged by anybody? For the last year, Kristoff had been very supportive, but treated her like a piece of wet paper he was trying to peel off a table. He seemed scared to touch her. Now she realized just how much she missed that touch. Idly, Anna wondered what Elsa had been doing since she was taken, and desperately wished they were together now. A single tear glistened in her eye as she thought about her sister.

Of course, Elsa was concerned too, right from to the first missed meal. Once Anna was back on her feet emotionally from the attempted assassination the year before, she had hardly ever missed a meal without letting her sister or Kristoff know first. With the rumors circulating about unrest around the capital and Anna's disregard of her warnings, Elsa was already very worried before Anna ever disappeared.

What Elsa did not share with Anna was that there were signs of unrest outside the capital. Various loyal nobles to both the east and west of the capital were having similar issues. These lords and ladies of the realm all had daughters who were either abducted or attempted to be abducted. Of the failed attempts, the abductors were described as Elsa's personal guard or from the noble's own guard. Obviously, this was just from their uniforms, as they never found the perpetrators among the guards in question. Unfortunately, there were a few successful attempts. With no leads, Elsa and the affected nobles were stuck waiting for ransom demands. Of the nine abductions thus far, no demands had been made, and any cornered abductors fought to the dead to avoid being caught. While quite a few believed the girls to be dead, almost half claimed they likely ran away to avoid a marriage they didn't want. While Elsa didn't condone arranged marriages, neither were they illegal. Nine in such a short time didn't give much hope on the latter theory. If any demands had been received, the nobles had failed to advise Elsa of the developments.

All this was forgotten as Elsa stared at Anna's empty chair. Idly, she pushed the food around her plate, but little reached her mouth. Worry for Anna was etching itself into her features for all to see. If the worry lines went any deeper, people would think they would become permanent. Even Kristoff was becoming concerned by Elsa's worry.

"Relax Elsa. Anna hasn't lost track of time recently, and is more than due to be late for a meal. It's been months since she hasn't told us she was going to be late."

"That was before I got shot and showed people it was still possible to lose control of my powers. I don't know, Kristoff. She knows how worried I am about her adventures into town."

"Give her some credit. She can handle herself in a crisis. I think she proved that last year when she stepped up during your injury," assured Kristoff. A slight emphasis on the word 'think' caused Elsa to look up. Kristoff wasn't quite quick enough covering up the doubt he felt and she saw it in his eyes.

"Kristoff, while she made the right decisions, it almost destroyed her emotionally. While she won't admit it, we both know she's been a wreck since then. She's had more emotional peaks and valleys than a mountain range."

"Just give her the benefit of the doubt until we are both done eating, and then we'll send the guards out to find her. Despite what happened, she's a survivor. Trust me, there isn't a person alive that can hold her back for long. That is, other than yourself. She believes in you more than anybody else, possibly more than everybody else combined. The only way she wouldn't get back to you would be if she had to die to protect you. I – maybe that was a poor choice of words. What I mean is that she would NEVER give up on you. Don't you dare give up on her!"

"Are you sure?"

"Like I said, trust me."

Looking up, Elsa caught and held Kristoff's eyes. What she saw in them scared her. The same expression was on both their faces. They both hoped what Kristoff said was true. She could tell from his expression that neither of them believed a word he had said. There was no comfort for either of them in the other person's face.

Knock, knock.

"Come in! Is that you Anna?" called Elsa, pausing as she paced circles in her personal library.

"No milady. It's just me. Sorry to disturb you, but you requested me to come see you," replied Kai calmly as ever as he entered the room. He immediately noticed the signs of extreme worry in Elsa. They would have been hard to miss.

Every window was obscured by a thick layer of frost, and the room's temperature was cold enough to freeze her cup of water on her desk. The queen herself had failed to notice any of this, being immune to the cold. The most noticeable sign was on the floor. The circle Elsa had been pacing was an inch thick in solid ice, as was a back and forth path in front of the only open window. It was the only window Elsa was able to see the main gate from when she was in her library.

"Kai, have you seen her or heard anything about Anna?"

"No milady. She has not returned, nor has she sent word about her whereabouts. Word has been spread around the castle guards to inform you immediately if anything new comes up."

"This isn't normal Kai, especially since last year. She knows how worried we all get."

"Since neither you nor Kristoff actually ordered for guards to be sent out, I took the liberty of sending out guards to search about an hour ago. Nothing has been reported yet."

"I thought Kristoff said he was going to arrange to send them out?"

"Milady, all he said was that you should wait until after the meal. When no order was given by either of you, I made arrangements on your behalf."

"Thank you Kai. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"If I may be so bold, the castle staff are worried too. Things haven't been the same without your sister's usually buoyant self, and it's affecting everyone's mood over the last while. She has us all concerned, and not just because we can't find her right now. We've been watching out for Anna for months, trying to cheer her up. Now that nobody can find her, well, even Kristoff is out searching right now."

"When did he go out?" asked Elsa, slightly annoyed.

"Um, right after dinner… your majesty."

"I knew he didn't believe what he was saying. I'm going to have a discussion with that man."

"Don't be too hard on him. He means well and just didn't want to worry you any more than necessary."

"I know. He's done a wonderful job with Anna too. It's just frustrating."

"I'm sure he understands, milady. In the mean time, the council has been wondering if you have had time to endorse the trade agreement with the French Ambassador. We can't afford to keep such a steady trade partner waiting, or they will start to question our commitment to trade…"


	12. Chapter 12

Another chapter finally entered. I have 102 full pages of rough draft written out with more to follow, and this posted chapter only takes me part way down page 39. Last download of voice dictation software infected computer with a virus (just my luck) and that took a while to clean out. Antivirus program failed to detect until after a couple more updates (again, just my luck). I will not name software or websites in case I'm wrong about the source. I do have kids too. Infrequent but continual updates to follow thanks to hectic work schedule.

And now, on with REFROZEN RETRIBUTION.

…

"Don't be too hard on Kristoff. He means well and just didn't want to worry you any more than necessary."

"I know. He's done a wonderful job with Anna too. It's just frustrating."

…

Later, Elsa was sitting in her study, attempting to focus on royal endorsements. It wasn't going to well.

'So the Southern Isles want to sign a naval defense treaty for the shipping lanes up the coast. That would be fine if they would stop driving the pirates north to our shores in the first place. I have to refuse to sign the treaty until their policy on handling pirate incursions change. How else am I going to have the manpower to get Anna back? I have to keep… what in the world does Anna have to do with this trade agreement? Navy issues versus a missing princess on land? Get a grip, Elsa!'

Looking up from the proposed treaty, Elsa stares out her window at the surrounding lights in Arendelle. Anna was well beyond a late check-in, and darkness had settled over the town. In the last few hours, the guards had no luck in locating the princess.

'How did I let Kristoff talk me into waiting on starting the search? I knew something was wrong the second she was late. What if she got hurt? What if she is injured in a gutter somewhere, unable to get help? Could I live with myself if she is hurt?' thought Elsa. An image of Anna bleeding in a dark alley buried under rotting garbage wormed its way into her brain.

Turning back to the paper in front of her, Elsa let out a sigh. "Well the treaty won't answer itself," mumbled Elsa, pulling a fresh paper from the lower drawer. "Looks like another response I'll have to get the council to draw up with specific conditions that need to be met. Oh Anna, where are you?"

Dipping her pen into the inkwell, she frowned when it barely went in. When she pulled it out, a chip of frozen ink was stuck to the tip. She'd frozen ANOTHER bottle of ink. Frowning as she picked it up, she threw it in the corner with about eight others. She could hear the bottle crack, and realized she threw it harder than she planned. The first few times, she just unfroze the bottle and started writing, but could only get a couple more words before it refroze. Once it froze once, it took almost no time to freeze again. She had gotten farther getting new bottles, but now her supply was out. Apparently she wasn't going to be able to distract herself by getting her queenly duties done. Throwing her pen on the table in frustration, it slid off the other side over the frosty surface and half way across the icy floor. When she attempted to ring her bell to call for servants, it was frozen to the table.

Frowning again, she unfroze the call bell and rang it. She needed to get the treaties to the council room before she froze the papers together again. Looking at the papers before her, she had one direct response, about twenty for the council to rewrite, and a mountain to go through.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in!" called Elsa, reaching for the papers. "These need to be brought to the council to be… oh, sorry."

Turning, Elsa had seen a guard in the door instead of a servant. Realizing this would mean they found something, she looked up to his face expectantly.

"Please tell me you found her," whispered Elsa desperately as her eyes looked him over, searching for hope. What she saw in his face caused her heart to drop to the bottom of her feet. She tried backing up to her chair, but stumbled ungraciously in the attempt. The floor greeted her bottom rather suddenly and papers flew everywhere. A servant quietly entered behind the guard and came around to gather the papers.

Looking very nervous, the guard glanced around the room as he avoided the queen's imploring eyes. He began to fidget as he saw more and more ice covering the room. The ice was rapidly becoming thicker. What the guard had forgotten in his panic was in his hands. This was the same item that caused Elsa to stumble to the floor. What he held was a fairly large cloth shopping bag with a stylized 'A' on the front. She recognized it immediately, as it was a present from her to Anna as a thank you for her help over the last year. If Anna was safely in the castle, she would be here holding it to show off her purchases, instead of a guard that looked about ready to faint.

Looking back to the guard's face, she searched for anything to say Anna was all right. While he was exceedingly nervous and more than a little scared, she saw no sadness or remorse in his gaze. Even if she was still missing, Elsa didn't believe the guard thought she was dead.

"You found something! Please tell me you found her and she's all right!" demanded Elsa. She followed it with a desperately whispered "Please!"

"We have not found the princess, m-milady," stuttered the guard. "We found this and wanted to confirm it belonged to the princess. Kai did confirm it a-and insisted we bring it directly to you. We found it h-hidden half buried under some fresh dirt in the cemetery."

"Bring it to me, please," commanded Elsa in a concerned voice. She stood up as he approached.

Walking over the slippery floor carefully, the guard kneeled before handing up the bag. "The captain has already tripled the guards searching and-and ordered all boats, carts, wagons, or anything else big enough to sneak the princess out. Absolutely nothing is to leave the town without a thorough search. He has even introduced stiff penalties for anybody taking or offering bribes. Anyone caught accepting a bribe for any reason, even unrelated, will result in a flogging and extra duties not related to the search. Offering a bribe will have the person placed in castle dungeons on suspicion of treason. Minimum penalty is the immediate confiscation of anything being transported, cataloging of said goods, and becoming the property of the crown."

"Due to the severity of a missing princess, any guards caught accepting bribes should be escorted to the dungeon as well. Punishment can be delivered later and adjusted based on the reason for the bribe. While flogging may not be necessary, there are a few reasons a bribe could require a more severe punishment. The guard will have brought their loyalty into question, and will need to be treated accordingly. While I would not condone these actions on a normal basis, NO person can be allowed to attack the royal family in any capacity." With that, Elsa lowered her voice. "I-I just want my sister back." Elsa's queenly mask faltered and then slipped completely from her face as she finished speaking. Tears broke free, followed shortly after by sobs.

"D-dismissed, and thank y-you for the report." She couldn't have guards afraid to give her bad news. She needed all the information she could get if she wanted to find her sister quickly. "Oh, and extend the searches to the surrounding area. We d-didn't start the search as soon as we should have, and they may have already left town. We need to know if that happened."

"Yes, milady." Rising from his kneeling position, the guard saluted and rapidly left the room. She could just hear one of the palace guards chuckling at the frightened man.

"You see, I told you she would never hurt the messenger. Our queen is better than…" The rest was cut off as the door closed. At least she could tell people were getting accustomed to her ruling benevolently, if that guard was any indication. She HATED having to put that trust to the test by such strict measures, but it was necessary. Wasn't it?


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Trying something new to get updates out faster. Hope it works, time will tell. Straight the our story.

...

"You see, I told you she would never hurt the messenger. Our queen is better than…" The rest was cut off as the door closed. At least she could tell people were getting accustomed to her ruling benevolently, if that guard was any indication. She HATED having to put that trust to the test by such strict measures, but it was necessary. Wasn't it?

…

"Milady, you have to eat! Your food's gone cold, and you need to keep your strength up."

"Gerda, the cold never bothered me anyway. I appreciate your concern though." Elsa's fork continued to twirl the food on her barely touched plate. "I promise to eat when I have more news."

"Kai should be along shortly with an update. You've asked for one after every meal, or immediately on anything new coming up, day or night."

"Gerda, we both know he's waiting for you to tell him I'm done eating. I'm not hungry, so we may as well take the plate away and call him in," said a smiling Elsa. After her parents died, Kai and Gerda had been the only supports she had left. She wasn't allowed to tell Anna about her powers, and the two servants were the ONLY ones her parents trusted enough to keep her secret.

"You always were a hard one to fool, except when your heart got in the way. That said, don't be blinded by emotions or your love for Anna. There will always be somebody willing to use that against you if they think they can get away with it. Remember Hans? He did that to Anna. You weren't planning on an arranged marriage for her, were you? Your parents were considering it, but really didn't like the idea."

"Firstly, Anna wouldn't stand for it. She's too independent. Second, the reason for an arranged marriage was to be able to continue the royal line without having to reveal my… powers. That no longer applies. And finally third, you can't distract me about Anna being missing using Anna as the distraction. It was a good try though. I appreciate the effort, but I need Anna back. I love her, and I can't function properly as queen when I believe she's in harm's way."

"As you wish, my lady."

Both women smile as Gerda picks up the barely touched plate and leaves the room. The door hadn't come close to closing before Kai came through with a troubled look on his face. Without waiting for the queen's formal request for updates, he immediately addressed the queen.

"My lady, word has come in that may indicate Princess Anna has already been taken from the capital. Details are sketchy at best, but could be related. A farmer on his way to town using the north road heard a groan from the back of an oxcart leaving town. When he offered to help, he was told that the second driver got too deep into his cups at the local alehouse. The light was bothering his eyes so he had covered himself up completely until the next pickup a couple hours away. While the driver of the cart indicated it was a man under the tarp, he was either very feminine or lying as the groan sounded like a young woman. If it hadn't been for the pained groan, the farmer would never have realized there was a person there at all."

Elsa sat in silence for a long time as she weighed the information. Sketchy was definitely the right way to describe the information, and calling it a long shot wouldn't be out of line either. "Keep inspecting everybody attempting to leave town. We can't be sure that this is related to Anna in any way. We can't even be sure we can trust the information we have been given."

"However, we will investigate this further. Enlist some of the guards currently searching the town and have them attempt to track down the elusive oxcart driver. Post a small contingent of guards at any location large enough to have a bar and an inn. We need to confirm or refute the farmer's report with certainty."

"Give the farmer a small reward, and find out how to contact him. If we are able to confirm that this oxcart is related to Anna's disappearance, then the reward shall be increased significantly. We need to encourage people to speak up about possible leads. Once word of an increased reward for accurate information gets around, we may get more useful information than with being stingy.

"At once, your majesty," replied Kai. In his haste to leave the room, his normally formal façade slipped once again.

…

It took three more days for Elsa to garner any new information regarding Anna's disappearance. Whoever had instigated the abduction had covered their tracks very well. On this third day, Elsa's day started as normal as of late. Elsa woke in a cold sweat from a nightmare she barely remembered. The only thing she could ever remember was Anna's angry face, a face with eyes that always asked her 'why?' just by looking at her. It was always Anna looking down at her, as though she were laying on the ground with Anna standing above her. She always felt helpless, and a sense of shock always accompanied her awakening.

To calm her nerves after seeing the image so many times, she had taken to having a single glass of wine with breakfast. Gerda always looked on with disapproving eyes, so she never took a second glass. Today, however, was different. Elsa was barely finished her drink before her breakfast was interrupted. Most of her food was still on her plate when Kai knocked. She knew something was up when he entered without waiting for permission. She had long ago told him he didn't have to wait when she was in a more public area, but he still observed the formality almost religiously. Kai was followed in by a guard, his clothes still dusty from the road.

"Your majesty, news has arrived regarding princess Anna. It appears like it could be authentic and we figured you would want to see it immediately."

"Absolutely. You know how worried I am. What can you tell me? Quickly, please."

The guard remained silent as he held out a crumpled piece of paper. As she took it, she could faintly smell the beer stains on it. Reading the note was frustrating for the impatient queen as the author appeared to be poorly educated.

"Your majesty, thus was found left on a table at a bar to the north of Arendelle. The bar itself was located near the north border between Brexton and Sander's crossing." It took time to decipher the poor grammar, but Elsa's face lit up as its meaning sank in.

"Quene Elsa. My master has you sister neer you north border. Help she needs. Sum do nut lik what master does. We will fre if can but olways wached. Cum sune."

"Kai, redirect the main search to the north, but I still want all towns on alert. We don't really know who wrote this. Whomever it is, I will personally pay their weight in gold and supply a tutor if this is not a false lead. Please, go quickly."

"At once, your majesty," replies Kai as he turns to leave the room.

Peering over to the window, Elsa stares off to the north. "Oh Anna! Where are you? I'm coming, I promise!"

Looking back down at the note, she wonders who wrote it. "Who spells queen with an 'ene'?" she mused aloud.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: First update under my new entry system, much better so far. After all the delayed updates so far, I'll get straight to the story.

...

Peering over to the window, Elsa stares off to the north. "Oh Anna! Where are you? I'm coming, I promise!"

Looking back down at the note, she wonders who wrote it. "Who spells queen with an 'ene'?" she mused aloud.

Elsa could hardly wait for any confirmation of the note. By the next morning, Elsa was back to pacing and the captain of the guard was actively avoiding her. Elsa had already tracked him down no less than ten times that morning praying for more news. He had no way to ease her fears that didn't have her asking again within a half hour.

For the bulk of the afternoon, Elsa spent her time searching for the captain. It was easier on her nerves than pacing, but no less frustrating. It was almost evening before she tracked him down again. She had managed to hear some ugly rumors before she found him though.

"Captain! A word, please!" asked Elsa in a very sharp voice. She would almost swear he flinched at the sound of her voice. If her sources were right, he had better be flinching.

"Yes, your majesty?" asked the captain in a very innocent voice.

"Where have you been all afternoon? I've been looking for you for hours."

"I've been tracking various leads on the princess. Unfortunately, all leads I managed to check were false. The people are aware of your generosity for information and a few are trying to take advantage of that. I've also had some discipline issues to deal with."

"Is that why my sources tell me you've been in a bar nursing your Stein of ale in a dark corner? Rumors are circulating about you complaining about too many interruptions to get anything done. At one point, you were quoted as saying that 'The queen is being an annoying nag.' Is this true?"

"Absolutely not. I was talking with MY sources in the back of the bar. I did drink a pint or two, but I would never call you a nag, your majesty!"

"Then what did you call me?" replied the queen.

"A hag... your majesty. I apologize, I should never have said that," admitted the captain after answering too quick to stop his mistake.

"When? At the bar, or to my face?" responded Elsa in an icy tone.

"Both," replied the captain. "Your majesty, I apologize for my conduct since we last met. Apparently the limited ale I had affected me more than I realized. It appears to be causing my mouth to open before I think. I honestly meant no insult, and humbly beg your forgiveness."

"Be that as it may, it takes time to undo the damage you've done to my reputation. That doesn't include the fact that neither of us have managed to get an update on a certain missing royal that I care about deeply. Disciplinary action is necessary, I believe. Since the demands of your position are so high that you feel the need to drink, I'll make it easier for you. You are hereby reduced in rank to PAGE. From there, you are free to attempt to gain promotions to higher rank. A period of time at each rank will be required to show you are not too overloaded at the new position. For a period of time, you will be my personal messenger while I determine just how often we have overworked you. All you will have to do in my service is run my errands. If there is even the rumor of you being drunk, I'll have you enjoying the view from a dungeon window until the next morning."

"Your majesty! I ..."

"I'm not done. Sergeant Drexler is hereby promoted to captain, and will be filling your position. Please give him an update on current issues. I expect you at my side within an hour dressed appropriately for your new position. Until my sister returns, this behavior cannot be tolerated."

"Please, your majesty..."

"Unless you want to see just how much of a hag I can be, I suggest you DON'T try my patience further." Else stands there starting at the former captain, her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

"I... I... Yes, your majesty." At a nod from Elsa, he bows and turns to leave. He was the picture of dejected resignation. A look of uncertainty crosses her face as he completed the turn. He paused immediately when she cleared her throat.

"Do well, and... and we'll see what we can do to reinstate you at least near your old rank. It's not your fault about Anna disappearing" adds Elsa quietly. Regret and sadness on her face.

"Thank you, your majesty", replied the soldier. He was obviously still angry from the sarcasm as he said 'majesty'. Elsa just couldn't bring herself to blame him, especially after publicly humiliating him.

A couple hours later, Elsa sends for Kai to meet her at her study on a matter of urgency regarding a personal matter.

'Knock, knock.'

"Enter!" calls the queen.

Walking in, Kai noted the queen was pacing and wringing her hands. On her desk was a mostly empty wine bottle, and an empty used wine glass. "Is everything all right, your majesty?"

"Not really, Kai. I lost my temper with captain Osten today. I was frustrated and overreacted. Unfortunately, I did this publicly and I can't undo what I've done without causing more problems."

"Well, I had heard you demoted him, but nobody could explain what he had done to be demoted so far. This explains things some."

"Kai, I need a good reason to restore his rank, and I don't have one. He didn't deserve my wrath, but he got it. Please, I need help. What can I do?"

"First, I think you need to get rid of the wine bottle. I think your occasional drink is becoming too frequent and may be resulting in part of your problems."

"Kai, it's apple juice. It's in a wine bottle for appearances only."

Walking over to Elsa's desk, Kai picks up the bottle and takes a sniff. "Your majesty, whomever told you this was juice didn't tell you everything. There IS alcohol in here." Now that he was closer to Elsa's desk, he could sees the more empty bottles behind it. "How much have you had?"

"Too much, if what you say is true," whispered Elsa. "I drank them all today."

"Well, no more juice from a wine bottle, if you want to keep your captain's," admonished Kai. Elsa just nodded, her eyes aimed at the floor like a little girl who just got caught dealing cookies.

"You do have an option with Osten." Elsa's look of relief encouraged him to continue. "He has field experience. Put him on probation in the field where he has already proven himself. Be removing him from the palace, you don't really lose face. You're just putting him in a place he's already proven his value. Give him time to 'prove' himself able, and then make the post permanent. At that point, he can stay in the field or select another post, even here, and all you have to say is he did well 'in the field' and has been reinstated."

"Kai, your a genius! Thank the goods your here!"

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll investigate the bottle mix up and deal with the results as quietly as possible. Likely just a misunderstanding about what you actually wanted to be drinking. As far as anybody else is concerned, I found the issue and you were never aware. Partial truths, but it is as much as anybody else needs to know. We just won't let anybody know I told you. I'll deal with these bottles myself." Kai gathered up the bottles and paused as he turned to leave.

"Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about? You seem hesitant to bring something up."

"Actually, yes. The western nobles are still complaining again about their disappearing children. Some are turning up dead, and several are still missing. We believe the dead so far are killed because we closed in before they could escape with them. There is a general opinion that several are together without knowledge of the parents, which is possible, but there may be more to it than that. Have you managed to put any thought into the disappearances?"

"I've tried Kai, but I keep getting distracted by Anna's disappearance. We can look for them while we search for Anna, but runaway noble's daughters are not as high priority as the crown princess being abducted," replied Elsa. More quietly, she added "I can't even pen a simple response to a trade agreement, without putting Anna's name down by accident. Until I have her back, I HAVE to rely on you and the council."

"I understand," said Kai, his voice noticeably softening. "We all do. We'll get her home soon, you'll see."

"I hope so Kai, I really do," answered Elsa as a single tear ran down her cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: new entries getting done faster, but autocorrect likes to choose wrong words, fell fee to point out these errors in a review. If you can think of ways to present something better, I'm open to suggestions. I am an amateur, after all.

"FELL FEE"? Grumble, grumble. Meant "FEEL FREE"! GRRRRRR!

...

"I understand," said Kai, his voice noticeably softening. "We all do. We'll get her home soon, you'll see."

"I hope so Kai, I really do," answered Elsa as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Elsa continued to fret until later the next morning. The same guard from two days before had returned with more news. From his inability to stand still and looking decidedly uncomfortable, Elsa held little hope the news was good.

"Your majesty, we found this in the back of a cart near Sander's Crossing." Walking up, the guard handed a pouch to the queen. She immediately recognized the patterning on the small leather pouch. The intricate swirls were in a pattern designed by Anna herself. The empty pouch was where she normally carried her money.

"Did you find the driver?"

"Yes, your majesty. He was still in the driver's seat. His throat had been cut long before we arrived. Even his ox had been cut down. Animals had picked at the carcasses, but you could still recognize the axe marks around the beasts head. There was no signs of the princess. There wasn't even any blood on her pouch."

Elsa just slowly nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

Seeing Elsa's crestfallen look, Kai added "We'll find her, your majesty. We are still making progress."

"But it's so slow! How will we ever find her in time, before she gets... more hurt?" Elsa continued speaking, but as Kai watched, he could see guilt seeping into the Queen's features. "She never really recovered from my delusions last year," she whispered.

"Your majesty, last year was nobody's fault. You can't keep blaming yourself."

"It's not the blame, Kai. It's the responsibility for what happened. I nearly killed her after my coronation, and then I crippled her emotionally. I was responsible for all of it," whispered Elsa.

Kai motioned for the guard to leave before he approached the queen. "Those were accidents, nobody intended those things to happen. Even when you were unconscious, you did more to help Anna than anybody could expect. You gave her an insight into why her memories were altered, and showed her the true history. You even made Hazel who protected Anna from harm. You did these things in a way that only you could have done."

"Yes, well, that harm also was coming from me. Thank you anyway, Kai," said Elsa with a half smile. "I really don't know how you manage to cheer me up, even at a time like this. You're a gift from the gods, and a good friend."

"Well, it's what a good friend should do. Anybody who knows you as well as I do, after all these years, would do the same," commented Kai as he reached over to give her a fatherly hug.

Elsa returned the hug, clinging like a child waking up from a nightmare. They stood there for a moment in a comfortable silence. The queen hated the idea of letting go of the most constant thing in her life.

The next day, another note came to Elsa's attention. This note, however, was decidedly disturbing. A merchant delivered it this time, in the company of several guards.

"Your majesty! I must protest! You put out a call for information, and I heeded that call. Now your men are holding me AGAINST MY WILL to have this audience! I can't afford to be delayed if I am to feed my family! I must insist you release me! Please, your majesty!"

Elsa just raised her hand with a quiet "Shhhhh" as the guard handed her the note. Elsa's normally calm mask she used in public slipped as she read the note. Her eyes went wide with surprise, then narrowed in anger.

"How much are you standing to lose, merchant?" asked Elsa, obviously disturbed by the letter.

"At least 200 your majes..."

"Guard, take this man to our treasurer. He is to be awarded 400 as compensation. One last question, where did you get the letter?"

"It was given to me by a man who claimed he couldn't read. After I realized what the letter was, he was already gone. He acted like a horse kicked him in the head when he was young, you know, not right in the head. The cloak he wrote concealed him mostly, but the outward appearance was of a farm hand. Something was off though. The calluses on his hands were located more for weapon use than farm tools. He actually had two letters, but the guards started hassling me before I could hand it over. The same guy had both of them, but I only read the one you already saw." The merchant carefully reached inside his coat, eyes on Elsa's guards. He pulled out a second letter and handed it to the queen. As she studied it, the blood drained from her already pale face.

On seeing the change, Kai approached from the background. "My lady, are you all right?"

Elsa just handed him the letters and waved the merchant on his way. One guard remained holding a small wooden box. Kai looked down at the letters in confusion, hoping for clarity. The first was in a neat script.

'This letter is for queen Elsa. I know the exact location of your sister. I should as I arranged for her visit. If I tell you where, do I get a reward too? I've felt for some time that Anna's education was lacking. She has no idea how to bow before her betters. You could stand to learn something of this as well, but we'll just start with your sister. I assume you want proof of her being under my care, so I have left you a gift. Behind the stables where this letter was obtained is a wooden box. You should recognize the contents as belonging to princess Anna. In regards to her education, Anna is proving to be an apt pupil. She has come to no significant harm as of yet, but this could change if her education becomes less entertaining. You are welcome to TRY to find her if you can, but I'd hurry if I were you. I get bored easily.'

The second letter was significantly shorter, and in the poor script of the very first note Elsa received.

'Quene Elsa, cant free Anna. Wached all the tim. Master toys wit Anna bi making others tri to kil her. Anna lives but has to defend her self. Yor serch is of. Go mor west.'

Kai looked up from the letters to see Elsa watching him. They both turned to the guard at the same time, not really sure they wanted to ask the next question.

"Is... Is that the proof the letter mentions?" whispered Elsa fearfully.

At the guard's silent nod, she beckons him forth. Removing the lid with a shaking hand, Elsa close her eyes for a moment before peering into the box. A pained gasp escaped Elsa's lips before she turned her head away, starting to cry. Kai braced himself, expecting to see a cut off finger or one of Anna's still braided pigtails, but nothing prepared him for what he saw Elsa lift from the box.

Initially, Kai thought it was a green and brown rag, but soon recognized it as the dress Anna was wearing the night she disappeared. The green and black dress was heavily stained with blood, blood dry so long it had turned deep brown. There was very little that hasn't been discolored by the blood.

"Elsa, this can't be all her blood! The first letter said she hadn't been harmed!"

"Kai, it said she hadn't been SIGNIFICANTLY harmed, and what is their definition of significant? Is it small cuts, broken bones, or just shy of death? Kai, I..." Elsa almost screamed as she became more and more hysterical.

"ELSA!" interrupted Kai. "She's alive. We will find her! She will be all right as long as you don't bury any HINTS to her location in another blizzard! You need to control yourself before you drop a foot of snow on us all! We can't search under those conditions!" said Kai, iron showing in his voice.

"Yes, of course. I wasn't thinking. Kai, I'm no use here and just sitting is driving me up the wall. I can't concentrate on my duties as queen while I know Anna is in danger. I'm going to the northern guard to run the search. It's the only thing I can think about at..."

"I don't think that's a good plan, your and Anna are the only remaining royalty in Arendelle. If something happens to both you and the princess, it will be chaos. This could be what the kidnapper is waiting for. Don't let them taunt you into harm's way."

"Your absolutely right, Kai. I have an idea. Would you bring me a pen and paper, please?"

It only took a moment for the queen to write up a short proclamation. Once complete, she had three members of the council summoned to witness it. Kai was concerned about what the queen was up to, but she refused to reveal any details until all the councillors were present.

Once everybody was ready, Elsa rose and walked to the front of the room, paper in hand. "Gentlemen, it has been brought to my attention that with only myself and my missing sister remaining in Arendelle's royal bloodline, there is the possibility of a coupe if something were to happen to both of us. With no clear successor, chaos would ensure. As such, I would like to name a successor should the unmentionable happen to my bloodline." Opening her rolled parchment, Elsa began to read in a clear, formal voice.

"I, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, hereby proclaim the path of succession should the royal line pass away and no recognized heir of the royal blood is presentable. Should this occur, the crown will fall to one who knows the position well, can work WITH the council successfully, and has proven to have a level head when chaos strikes. I hereby proclaim Kai, high senchal and senior advisor to the queen, to be taken as crown prince of Arendelle should the royal line fail. So say I, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

Elsa looked up to see Kai's pale face, as well as three very amused looking councillors.

"My queen, I think I speak for the whole council when I say there are very few others who could be a better choice, and he works well with the council." The other two councillors immediately nodded their agreement.

"Your majesty! I-I don't deserve such an honor..."

"Which is precisely why you are ideal for the position." interrupted Elsa. "You are underestimating your abilities. It has been my experience that those who seek power our position are often unsuited to lead in a manner beneficial to the people. Those who know how to lead, as you do, and have the leadership thrust upon them, will be more likely to work in the interest of the people. I can think of no better choice, my lord."

"But... My lord?"

"Actually yes Kai. I guess you are now a lord of the realm, by right of your potential inheritance," answered another councillor.

"The only difference to your duties, and technically Gerda's too, is that rather than doing the chores, you would now delegate the tasks to others. Your primary task would now be to advise the queen as to how best serve the people. Since you've been doing that since the coronation anyway, nothing would change there. It's just official now," said the queen with a subtle smile. "It would also entail acting in my stead when I am away at various functions or unavailable for other reasons."

Kai looked over at the queen, realization dawning on his face. "I assume you plan to be unavailable, your majesty?" Asked Kai knowingly.

"Why yes, very astute of you to guess this. I plan to take a larger role in the search for princess Anna. This would require going to our northern command post to get up to date information quickly. Of course, I would work with the commanders there. We need a stable government while I'm away and we all know I am completely distracted by Anna's plight. The only thing I've been able to focus on is the efforts to find her. If I'm unavailable, you and the council will be able to coordinate things more smoothly, especially now it is officially part of your duties."

"As you wish, your majesty," answered Kai with a resigned sigh. Elsa just smiled sweetly.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Illness, Christmas, and almost no days off from work (10 hours at work and 1 hour commute each way) are taking their toll. Next update likely after new years.

...

"We need a stable government while I'm away and we all know I am completely distracted by Anna's plight. The only thing I've been able to focus on is the efforts to find her. If I'm unavailable, you and the council will be able to coordinate things more smoothly, especially now it is officially part of your duties."

"As you wish, your majesty," answered Kai with a resigned sigh. Elsa just smiled sweetly.

Elsa wasted no time pacing and was on the road as the sun rose the next morning. It took a day and a half to reach the search's central command, and she chafed at the pace they travelled. With her escort, she felt held back. It all she could do to not to forge ahead alone. She did have one pleasant surprise on arrival though. Her commanders, having already been made aware of the second note by a fast rider, had already intensified the search to the west.

The next several days were very frustrating for the queen and even more nightmarish for her captain and his lieutenants. Captain Osten was field reinstated on a trial basis, possibly earning his fill rank back for good performance. If Elsa was bad for pestering him before, it was infinitely worse when she had NO other distractions. Only the captain didn't hide. He did cast long glances at the ale going around, but nobody ever caught him anywhere near the stuff. The queen grew more and more irritable until a local barkeep brought another letter in five days after she arrived. The writing style didn't match any of the other notes, using a flowing script. At least it was easy to read.

'Queen Elsa. The servant passing you information about the princess has been caught. My Lord caught him in the middle of writing a letter to you and was furious. He was executed immediately, on the spot. As of yet, no permanent harm has befallen the princess yet, only minor injuries that would quickly heal. Our matter takes a great deal of notice in the princess's responses, but nobody knows what his final goal is for sure. While he can be cruel, he usually has a purpose to what he does. He seems to be happy with the princess's reactions up to now. Your search is currently moving in the right direction.'

Elsa let out a sigh of relief to hear Anna was at least holding her own. Heading in the right direction helped ease her mind as well. While she did regret the loss of their unknown ally, at least he wasn't alone. The only thought that gave her concern was not knowing if the information was reliable. This could also be a wild goose chase to keep her away from Anna. Unfortunately, Anna's abductors had covered their tracks very well. Their only lead came from within the enemy's camp, and they had no way to know if it was too good to be true.

...

Anna stared at Patty, concern etching her face. Since Patty has arrived for 'days' previous, Anna had been testing her for hidden potential. She was diligent, appeared to be honest, and was able to handle most tasks easily. Best of all was that she hadn't killed Anna yet. If she wanted too, she had been given more than ample opportunity. Her downfall was her reflexes. With time, she could complete almost any task Anna could come up with. When rushed, her coordination went out the window. When Anna tossed her a piece of brad at mealtime, she had to pick it up off the floor after it bounced off her nose. The way things stood, if an assassin found her, her death would be relatively quick and hopefully painless. She could be a reliable watchman though.

Anna looked back to her latest book and shifted in her reading chair. The blind-fighting techniques it described would be useful, and possibly necessary for survival, if she was attacked at night again. The previous book on childcare surprised Anna, but made sense considering Patty's age. Unfortunately, the book had caused some other concerns for Anna. The feeding section had brought to mind another issue, good was a concern since Patty arrived. More food came with each meal, but not near enough to keep them both strong. Anna had sacrificed some of her normal amount of food, but couldn't afford to give enough to feed Patty properly. She needed her strength to defend them when attacks came, but she still felt guilty. Some meals she would give Patty more, saying she couldn't stomach it right then. She would say she wasn't hungry, but they would both know she would be lying. Patty accepted the Keck of food without complaint, saying she had 'survived on less from time to time'. Anna hoped the could find a way to escape before starvation took its toll.

It was in a quiet moment, while neither of them was moving that Anna heard it. There was subtle noises coming from the only remaining dark room off her sitting room. Anna motioned for Patty to stay quiet while she listened. It didn't take long to identify the noise as sniffing, or the occasional sob.

Anna kept one hand on her dagger's handle as the carefully advanced through the door. She could hear a whimper to her right almost immediately after entering. Turning to the unknown person, she waited silently while her eyes adjusted. It wasn't long before she could barely make out the outline of a form huddling where she believed a wall would be.

"I can see you. If you would be so kind as to come into the light, it would be appreciated. Otherwise, I HAVE to assume you are threat to me or my companion, and be forced to act. The choice is yours."

Anna waited a full minute, looking for any sign of movement. When she got nothing more than a few whimpers, she spoke again more forcefully.

"Last chance. While I've been here, I've been attacked several times. I can't leave you here without knowing if you intend to harm us. If you give me to come in to get you, I'll be doing it dagger first. It's too dark where you are for me to take chances."

Anna waited in silence fit another full minute. When nothing changed, she let out a sad sigh as she unsheathed her dagger.

"NO! P-please no! I'll c-come out!" wailed a voice from the darkness. Just from the voice, it sounded like it was yet another young girl.

'What does this guy have against girls?' thought Anna wryly. As Anna sheathed her weapon, she could just see the huddled shadow slowly stand and come forward. Anna stayed in the girl's full view as she moved back to the lit room. After what seemed like forever, a small form worked its way out of the shadows. When the new girl came into view for both of them, she heard Patty gasp.

Purple bruising outlined the girl's face. Multiple bruises and scrapes could be seen all over her arms and legs. Matted blood stained her blonde hair on the back of her head. Her clothes were torn in several places, briefly showing more injuries underneath. She was obviously still afraid of Anna, by the way she kept looking at the dagger the princess still wore. This wasn't what caught Anna's attention most.

The girl was about seven years old, platinum blonde hair braided down over one shoulder. Anna clearly saw the slight freckling over the bridge of the nose. Her height, build, and general appearance screamed why she was here. Under her injuries, she was the spitting image of Elsa at the same age. Anna instantly felt protective of the girl. How could she not? Outrage began to take over after she thought about what this girl had been put through. The outage must have shown on her face as the new girl suddenly cowered under Anna's gaze.

"Please, don't be afraid. nobody here is going to hurt you," Anna said quietly in her kindest voice. The girl just stared at Anna from her cowered position next to the door. It reminded Anna of a startled deer, ready to bolt. She could see the girl's eyes as they darted back and forth between her face and her dagger.

As she called Patty over, Anna noticed her hands were shaking. She could think of several reasons but didn't know which was correct. Was it the girl's treatment, the shock of seeing a young version of her sister, or the thought of somebody beating her sister like this or worse.

"Patty, I need you to talk with her. You'll be able to get closer to her because you're not armed. I can't go weaponless for the time it would take to earn her trust. She might as well get used to me with a weapon from the start. That means it's up to you to gain her trust first. She can trust me later, in her own time. I need to be focused on our defence, for all our safety. With a third person, it just got harder. Can you do this?"

"I'll try. I wouldn't trust anyone after a beating like she's had."

"Patty, be careful. Remember, you're weaponless and we don't know her. Don't... Don't take any chances. I need you.. you're help, that is."

"Ok" said Patty with a smile. Turning, she approached the girl slowly, talking in a soft voice. When she got closer, Anna could hear them talking, but it was too hushed to understand. After a minute of talking, Anna saw the new girl nod. Patty rose slowly and walked up close, putting one hand gently on the girl's arm. Patty looked over the visible abrasions while they talked for several more minutes. Eventually Patty helped the girl stand and led her over to Anna, gently holding one of her hands. Anna still had trouble seeing the new girl as she kept Patty between them.

"Anna, this is Lucette. She comes from a farming community. Some time ago, she was playing in the woods near her family's home when men grabbed her from behind. They beat her for no reason she could understand, and only called her a whelp, a mutt, or the king's bastard. She didn't even know what a bastard was until I told her, and she claims it isn't true. Her last beating went on and on until she blacked out. She woke up later in the room next to us. I explained we had nothing to do with what happened to her, and that we are prisoners as well."

"Thank you Patty. You got a lot of information. I was expecting to have to wait for some of those answers until Lucette was more comfortable around me. I appreciate it immensely."

"It's just the same questions we went through when I arrived. She just had better timing on waking up than I did."

"Thank you all the same." Patty just smiled as Anna turned to Lucette. "Hello Lucette. I don't know how much Patty has told you about down here, but there are a few things you need to know. We are in a very dangerous place and none of us know how to get out. I will do my best to protect all of us, don't worry about that. I have been attacked several times since I arrived. Each time had been in the darkness, so far. When it happens next, I need you to stay by Patty. Keep quiet and still as much as possible. In the dark, our attackers find us by sound. I find them the same way. If you're noisy, they will find you easier, or I could attack you by mistake. You.. you've been hurt enough already. We don't want to see it happen again. Can you do that for me?"

Anna could just see Lucette nod as she hid behind Patty. "Thank you Lucette. Patty, if or when we are attacked, I need you to take Lucette and hide. If the lights are on, find an empty room and hide as best you can. If it is dark, find a corner and keep things quiet as possible. If they get to close or hear you, move to another corner. If possible, only move while I'm distracting them. If I'm not drawing their attention, they can follow you by sound. Can you do that?"

"Yes Anna. Do you think we will be attacked again?"

"Yes, unfortunately I do. They gave me the blindfighting book after you arrived. I think it's safe to assume we'll be attacked again," replied Anna.

'Especially if I'm right about them turning me into a weapon of some sort,' thought Anna. 'I can't tell that to the girls though. Lucette is scared enough as is. I don't need her more scared of me than she already is. I don't see how much they can teach me in so short a time. It won't be long until Elsa closes in on us. I don't have enough time to learn, if they want me to be effective. What the hell do they want? I need to figure out their plan if I want to stop them.'

Another fear of Anna's surfaced at mealtime. Nothing extra was provided, despite having an extra mouth to feed. There was barely enough for one, but now she had to split it three ways. As their only viable defence, she had to keep her own strength up, but that meant starving the other girls. Knowing she couldn't live with herself if she did that, she divided it equally. Patty looked surprised when Anna finally divided the food.

"I though we decided you need more food to be strong enough to defend us. What's the thinking here?" whispered Patty as she pulled Anna to the side.

"I can't eat while I watch you two starve. I couldn't live knowing that. It would be torture watching you guys waste away."

"But if you get too weak, they'll beat you and we all die."

"If that's the case, then we fight to our last breathe. It will be much quicker than starving and infinitely less painful. Starvation is a slow death. Patty, how are you not worried about getting ENOUGH food, instead of who needs it? Your only ten, maybe eleven at the most. You have more common sense than most adults I know."

"Living on the streets doesn't give you time to be a child or play much. It's grow up or be ground into the dirt. You never know who you will run into that may hurt you. You don't know where your next meal comes from most of the time. I know I've been lucky. I met someone in the capital who let's me sleep in the corner if I help collect firewood. I still have to scrounge for my own meals, but I'm not going to crosses people who are willing to help me for three winters now. Lucette never left the farm. She doesn't know how men some people are or what it means to have no food. She hasn't had to sleep in the rain or a gutter of the poor quarter."

"I didn't realize, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. You've always had food. You don't live on the streets."

"How do you know that? I never told you," whispered Anna.

"Your skin is soft with no deep stains or scars. I can't see your ribs through your clothes, and you are just starting to get calluses instead of blisters in your weapon hand. That tells me you live in a good home, not worried about good, and likely get regular washing if not full baths. I've never had that."

"You grew up too fast. If we live, I'll try to do something about that."

"How? You're just one person."

"Somebody has to start, why not me? Besides, I'll talk to my sister. She'll know what to do."

"Your sister? Who is she that she has the power to change things?"

"The queen."

"The... queen? Then you're..? But, but, why are you here, your highness?"

"I don't know. I was taken while visiting my parents and little sister in the graveyard. Doesn't matter right now though. In here, I'm no princess. I'm just Anna, and our last line of defence. No titles matter until we get out of here. Even after, titles won't matter between us as far as I'm concerned. We'll get out together, if I have anything to say about it."

The rest of the meal was taken in silence, everybody lost in their own thoughts. Anna was distracted by Patty's plight as a homeless girl child. Patty was in awe of being in the presence of royalty, and on a first name basis with them as well. Lucette was just hungry, and hoping for more of their poor fair. Some of Anna's worries were lessened when a fourth meal arrived shortly before lights started dimming. She really hoped four meals a day was going to be the new standard.

...

"Captain, why didn't you report on the first lamb we sent in?"

"My Lord, we still have a traitor among us. I've been trying to follow their activities, so I can root them out. Whomever they are, they cover their tracks better than the first one we found."

"I sent in the second lamb too soon because of your failure. Focus on Anna from now on. I already know who the traitor is."

"How, my lord?"

"A little birdy told me. My birdy now has a much fatter purse. That's all you need to know."

"Yes, my lord."

"It's time to send in the next pawn. Time to see how well Anna has taken to her training. This one has some weapons experience though. Send her in unarmed, we don't want Anna to lose. If she has been training at all, she should still win. If Anna loses, then my revenge will be incomplete."

"Are you sure that's wise, my lord?"

"Even if the pawn wins, I still win. Anna winning will be much sweeter, if she survives long enough. Also, change the chessboard as I've instructed if she wins. Go prepare the pawn. You have your order. Dismissed."

"I... Yes my lord." The captain turns on his heel and promptly left before he allowed his expression to change. He was getting less and less comfortable with every report he made.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you all for your responses. Autocorrect has been atrocious to me and I'm missing it.

Those asking for when Elsa find Anna, I will say they do find each other, but other things have to occur first. The actual meeting will be interesting, I promise, but no details are going to be released yet.

...

The rest of the meal was taken in silence, everybody lost in their own thoughts. Anna was distracted by Patty's plight as a homeless girl child. Patty was in awe of being in the presence of royalty, and on a first name basis with them as well. Lucette was just hungry, and hoping for more of their poor fair. Some of Anna's worries were lessened when a fourth meal arrived shortly before lights started dimming. She really hoped four meals a day was going to be the new standard.

Anna's prediction came true much sooner than she really expected. Normally it seemed they liked to give her at least a day between sending in people. This time, she only got a couple hours of restless sleep before Patty woke her by shaking her arm.

"Somebody's coming," she whispered very quietly. It still seemed to be VERY loud in Anna's ears, even though it likely only carried a couple feet.

"Get Lucette and hide. You know what to do," answered Anna just as quietly. Anna could hear their quiet whispering as Patty explained to Lucette. Anna imagined the sound carrying to whomever was coming, but it couldn't be avoided. She hadn't worked out a silent method of communicating danger yet. She regretted her shortsighted approach now. While they talked, Anna moved to the doorway silently on bare feet. It wasn't long before she could hear Lucette whimpering from the corner and Patty's panicky whispers to be quiet.

'Damn it! It was too much to expect of the little girl. Lucette was going to be a problem. Patty is already doing much more than I had any right to ask, and now she was also having to keep Lucette quiet,' lamented Anna.

From Anna's position near the door, she could just hear the quiet footsteps as the unknown person approached. The almost silent steps sounded like bare feet, just like Anna. She grimaced as she realized how hard it would be to track this person. From what she could hear, the person was attempting a stealthy approach. The pauses and direction of travel were not right for a person just finding their way in the dark. Since Anna hadn't done anything to give her position away, she took advantage of her unknown position as the other person came through the door.

Anna couldn't tell the person's height, or if they were half crouched, so she swung at waist height with a backhanded fist. She wagered this would give her the best chance to strike an early blow. For her efforts, she got two rewards. Her first reward was contact with a cloth covered arm by her forearm. Not an ideal strike, but the other person wouldn't be able to brace themselves for the unseen blow. Her second reward was even less to her liking. She was nowhere near ready for the open palmed jab to the chest that made her stagger back, struggling to breathe.

'I hit them with the outside of my arm so they would stay outside my guard. They head to go around my hand to hit me like they did. They sent one that can fight this time!' thought Anna as she tried to catch her breathe. 'I'm in trouble and the battle just started. But they are counting on me to survive. If I lose, they're dead. I CAN'T allow that!'

Anna backpedalled as quietly as she could manage, hopefully putting some distance between her and her adversary. She could hear shuffling as Patty moved them to a new hiding place. 'Darn it, pick up your feet! Patty must think I'm still striking at the assassin.' To cover the noise of the shuffling, Anna gave up her own position by sliding one of her own feet. As the closer target, the attacker should come after her. Crouching as low as possible and still be standing, she braced for a possible strike and hoped they would swing higher than her head.

Once again, she was rewarded for her efforts, this time in a good way. She could feel the wind barely pulling at the hairs on her head as her enemy swung just over her head. Having a rough idea as to the position of her target, she moved as fast as she could to land a more solid hit. Striking out with her heal, she aimed where she thought the chest would be. She could feel her foot as it contacted simple cloth covering skin. She could hear a startled gasp and then a desperate breath as her opponent hit the ground.

Unfortunately, Anna did not hear any weapons hitting the ground our sliding away. All her previous opponents had at least a dagger, so she had to assume her opponent was still armed. Anna only paused a moment before retreating instead of pressing her attack. 'They should be expecting me to press the attack. If they are still armed, they could easily kill me if I attacked now. Thank the gods the blindfighting book had instructed her on how to kick effectively from near the ground. I expected I may need it defensively to keep them back, but now I see how it can be a good attack as well.'

Anna and her attacker went back and forth, both of them scoring hits but neither gaining a clear advantage. Frustration hampered Anna because she couldn't land any blows with her dagger. After a fairly hard hit from her opponent, Anna had an epiphany. 'That attack landed with both hands. If they had a weapon, it would be out in their hands. They don't HAVE a weapon, or they would be using it by now! I may actually have an advantage knowing that.'

Anna kept moving as silently as possible until she thought her opponent didn't know where she was. While her attacker searched in the dark, Anna remained still while they searched. Every once in a while, she could still hear a panicked whimper from Lucette. While Anna waited for her attacker to work in closer, she once again followed them through almost silent footsteps. When they suddenly changed direction and seemed to be moving a bit quicker, it took Anna a moment to realize the danger. 'He's going for the girls to draw me out! He's forcing me to reveal myself or let them be butchered!' thought Anna as she started to panic. She hadn't really planned on that happening, even though she had discussed the possibility with the girls. 'there goes my advantage. I promised the girls to protect them as best I could. I don't plan to start lying now.'

The attacker and Anna were about the same distance from the girls, forcing Anna to shift sideways. She had to keep noises from the girls and the attacker separate or she might hurt the girls. When the attacker didn't change their movement, Anna could only guess that they couldn't hear her over their own movements. 'I can only see one option to get me between the girls and him. If I miss, they will likely win with the advantage they get. I may just end up giving them my weapon, even if this works. If anything goes wrong here, my only chance will be to rush them and not back off. Once I attack, he'll definitely know how to draw me out again.

While raising her hand, Anna steadied herself as she sent a silent prayer to the gods in general. She had no clue which patron was for battle, but she was going to find out if she survived all this. Taking aim, she threw her dagger as hard as she could before diving to get between the attacker and her girls. A slight noise by Anna worked in her favor as her opponent paused to listen. As she leapt to get in the way, she was definitely glad to hear a meaty thunk followed by a gasp. As she righted herself, she heard a grunt from her attacker, and then a clatter from where Anna was standing before she jumped.

'I don't believe it! I hit good enough to stick the dagger in them, and then they threw it back in the wrong direction. I never heard it hit the floor so I must have stuck them with it. Finally a good break. That shouldn't have worked. Patty attention Anna!' gloated Anna silently.

Without knowing Anna's location for sure, the attacker paused for a moment to listed before heading for the girls again. Waiting at the ready, Anna was actually very close to the attacker's path. Of course, that's when Patty tried to move Lucette again. Both Anna and her attacker could tell where the girls were from Lucette's whimpering.

'no, no, no, no, no! Okay, that was poor timing. I guess she thought we were getting too close. Anna was forced to pounce at her attacker, hoping she was close enough.

Lucette squealed before bolting back to the first corner after hearing two bodies collide at very close range. Patty could be heard scurrying after her if anybody had been listening at that point. Anna and her enemy were intent on each other as they wrestled on the floor, and Lucette was sinking into the corner in fear.

Anna followed the sticky blood trail as they wrestled until she was able to locate the wound. Pressing on it, she heard her attacker hiss in pain. Anna almost apologized as she balled up her fist and drove it into the wound hard. It took a second hard hit for the attacker to fall away with a groan. Following the sound, Anna hit her in the jaw with her other fist. Pounding on the wound one more time, and Anna was about ready to finish this.

Borrowing a technique from her first fighting book, Anna had a pretty good idea where she had to strike. Digging a knuckle into the wound all but confirmed it when her victim moaned in pain. At this point, her opponent was barely fighting back through her pained moans, so victim felt more accurate in Anna's mind. With a swift jab, she contacted him just below the jaw line. She could feel the cartilage giving way as the windpipe collapsed under the sudden pressure.

Rolling away, all Anna could do was listen as the labored breathing changed to gurgling as they bled into her throat and lungs. After what felt like hours to Anna, the breathing finally stopped altogether.

Tears streamed freely and silently down Anna's face as she was forced to listen to them die painfully. The horror of the situation began to sink into Anna's mind. While the death of her opponent was necessary, it paled compared to her next realization. Anna had become the weapon they wanted without realizing it. She had somehow outmatched somebody who had some skill. She was a soft princess, pampered and supposedly safe from harm. She wasn't supposed to be a killer, but that was before. They obviously couldn't expect her to become a master of self defense in the time they had so she could only conclude that mastery was NOT a requirement. Thanks to her dedicated study in the name of protecting herself and her girls, she had learned enough to think her way through a fight using reasonable, if risky, tactics. She knew she had won as soon as the other person had tried to throw the dagger back at Anna. She was able to plan her moves DURING the battle and kept a level head until the last blow. When the unexpected occurred she adapted accordingly, from the unexpected first blow she received to the girls moving at the wrong time. It took a minute for her mind to accept how far she had changed due to her current predicament.

'I'm becoming the weapon they want. They send in an opponent and I kill them. They send in a victim and I protect them. They've gotten what they want so... who am I now? What am I?' thought Anna in growing distress. 'Who are they going to aim me at next? Will I kill my target or protect them? How could I let it go this far?'

When Anna managed to control her voice enough to speak properly, and she was sure her victim was really dead, she called out to the girls. "It's over. Patty, Lucette, I don't you to be able to, but try and get some sleep." She wanted to say more, but the words just wouldn't come out.

As the girls laid in bed, nobody moved. Anna hadn't moved from by the body when they heard the first sniffles. Muffled sobbing didn't take long to join in. After a couple minutes, Anna gave up and didn't even try to stop the crying. When Patty realized how pained Anna was by the battle, she got up and walked over to Anna. Without a word, she kneeled behind her defender and hugged her from behind. Anna laid a hand on Patty's arm in silent thanks as she continued to cry freely.

Several minutes passed before Patty broke the silence. "Thank you, Anna. Nobody has ever stood up for me like this before. I'm glad we had a chance to meet, regardless of how this turns out. I might not have been on the streets so much if I had a friend like you. Thank you."

Patty sat there hugging Anna in silence. Anna gave her arm a solid squeeze off thanks, but continued crying. What Patty couldn't understand was why Anna started crying harder. All Anna could think about was that Patty had unwittingly thanked her for being a killer.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: trying to get chapters out every one to two weeks, depending on school schedule. Finishing my apprenticeship. :)

...

Patty sat there hugging Anna in silence. Anna gave her arm a solid squeeze off thanks, but continued crying. What Patty couldn't understand was why g harder. All Anna could think about was that Patty had unwittingly thanked her for being a killer.

Patty did eventually fall asleep, but not before Anna turned around to cry on the young girl's shoulder foot at least half an hour. After Anna calmed down, Patty snuggled in and fell asleep smiling. Sitting with her arms around Patty and serenaded by Lucette's quiet snores, Anna wondered about a thought DURING her battle.

'I thought of them as MY girls, several times actually. When did that happen? This is only Patty's fourth night with me, and we started off very poorly. Lucette has been here less than a day. Well, Lucette I can somewhat understand, considering how much she looks like Elsa. I really, really hope I can live up to my promise to protect them.'

Anna was surprised to find herself still awake as the lantern flared to life. She looked down at Patty sleeping in her arms. Anna could just make out a contented smile on the girl's face. With great reluctance, she carefully placed the sleeping girl on the floor without waking her. She smiled at Patty for a minute before turning to the assassin. Anna had thought it was a man based on the fighting ability, but it was actually another young woman. Blood had dribbled from the corner of her mouth as she laid face down on the floor. Vacant eyes stared at Anna in an accusing manner.

'Don't look at me like that. I had no choice!'

She carefully picked up the assassin and slung her over her shoulder. Making her way out of the bedroom, she made her way to the room they found Lucette sitting in. Anna was a little surprised to see the room had its lanterns lit.

After verifying the room was unoccupied, she laid the body on the floor along the left wall. The room was the same size and shape as all the rest, but there was no doorframe across from Anna's entrance. Each of the side walls held a solid door with no keyhole or handle. On the wall with no doorway, Anna could see a stone table with a chair on each side. Tiny wood figures were on the table, some upright, some on their sides. Anna spent a couple minutes at each door trying to pry them open. When neither door budged, she was not surprised.

Approaching the table, Anna could finally make out a chess board with a half finished game on it. The black pieces were standard, except for the king which was missing. The other side had red pieces but some of them were modified. The red king has a head with a blonde braid over the left shoulder and a crown. The red queen s twin copper braid and a tiara. Five of the pawns wore black clothes. The remaining three pawns just had hair added, one with blonde hair, one with red hair, and one with black hair. The pieces were laid out so the red queen was in danger, as well as the pawns with blonde and black hair. All the ninja pawns were beside the board and out of play. The remaining pawn with red hair had not been moved yet.

As Anna picked up one of the black robed red pawns when it dawned on her what the board represented. 'This is us! These are the people I killed. They must have been forced to attack me, but were Arendelle citizens I'm supposed to help protect.' Tears ran down her cheeks again as she stared at the piece.

After a minute, Anna put the pawn back and picked up the red haired pawn. 'So my lookalike is still coming. That's why the piece hadn't moved. It looked like I'm all that stood between this madman and Elsa. Why me? Is that why I was taken? Is the man doing this just playing with me, or is there a darker purpose? It's a lot of effort for just using me like a toy. Why does it have to be me? Maybe that's the point, I wouldn't have been able to save Elsa last year without help. Maybe they are counting on that weakness. Their testing me to see how well I'll protect my girls, and their adding another one! How am I going to protect three when I almost failed with two? What if the send multiple assassins? Oh Hazel, how I wish you were with me now! Please, show me how to be strong!'

Anna sat there quietly weeping for a few minutes. When she was able to control it, she wiped the years from her eyes and slowly made her way back to Patty and Lucette. When Anna walked into the bedroom, she saw Patty crouched by Lucette, ready to sound the alarm. 'Good girl! I'm glad somebody is thinking!'

Lucette for her part was still asleep. From the expression on her face and the occasional whimper, she must be having a nightmare. 'She better get used to bad dreams. She's going to get them frequently, and she's living one when she's awake. Unfortunately, I can't see an end in sight. Better let her sleep, she's going to need it."

"Patty, you're going to want to avoid the room we found Lucette in. I put the body there. It'll likely be removed when we aren't looking, just like previous ones. I need to think," warned Anna as she walked to the opposite side of the room. Sitting with her back to the wall, Anna put her head on her knees. 'Patty doesn't need to see I've been crying again.'

Patty, undaunted, stood up and walked over and sat down. Anna just squeezed her eyes more closed as she felt Patty's arm go across the back of her shoulders. Once again, Anna was struck by how perceptive this young girl was. A quiet sob escaped her lips despite her best efforts to hold it in.

"Patty, I'm not sure I can do this." said Anna through her arms.

"I'm not sure I understand. Keep doing what?"

"Keep my promise to keep everybody alive."

"You're doing the best you can. Nobody asked you to save everybody, you were forced into it. Whatever happens, it's not your fault. I, for one, am grateful you wee willing to even try. Many people wouldn't."

"Patty, I don't know how you can be so kind, or so accepting of our situation. I don't know how I've survived this long. Now I'm also trying to protect you and Lucette as well. What am I going to do when I have a fourth person to protect?"

"I don't follow you, what do you mean a fourth person?"

"The room we found Lucette in is now lit. A chessboard in the room had pieces exchanged, with the new pieces representing us. Another person that looks like me is coming. We don't know if we can trust her or anything, but it looks like she was placed on our side."

"Oh, I see. Well, whatever comes week just have to make the best of it."

"How can you be do sure?"

"Because I trust you. You have a good heart, or I'd be dead on that first day. Also, because of how you handle yourself. You should be a pampered princess, but her you are learning to fight to protect people who can't defend themselves. You don't know us at all. You at least have a reputation as trustworthy and kind."

"I wish I deserved your praise. If you knew more about me, I'm sure you wouldn't trust me so much. My decisions have a tendency to get people hurt or killed."

"Hey, don't talk like that. We'll muddle through. It'll be alright, you'll see."

"Patty, let's face it, I've been lucky up to now. I'm not really a fighter, not like this. If they send a real warrior against me, I'll lose for sure. I'll always try, for you guys if nothing else. I had to throw my knife in that last battle. It would be a good idea to stay low if possible in case I have to do it again. Also, try not to panic and move while I'm not fighting somebody. When you moved near the end of that last battle, I was waiting for them to get closer and you drew them away. It helps cover your movements if I'm distracting them. They know I'm the only fighter here so they'll focus on me while I'm attacking them. I'll be paying better attention to your movements than them because I know I don't want to hurt you by accident, but they won't care."

Anna's thoughts never left Patty's comments, despite Anna's change in topic. 'Please Patty, just let it go. My eyes can't take much more crying.'

"Listen, just let Lucette sleep if you can. I just need to go think before they come at us again. I need to clear my head or next time may be our last stand. I also don't want to kill our next resident in our corner of hell, by thinking they are an assassin."

"Okay, I'll give you that point if you give me one. Don't take too long. You may worry about us, but I worry about you. Uuuuuuh..Somebody down here has to." Patty finished sheepishly.

"Your sweet, thank you. I'll be in the library if you need me, and I'll try not to be long." Said Anna as she got up. Patty just nodded before going back to bed.

Walking slowly, Anna made her way to the library. She looked over the books briefly, but didn't do more than touch the covers. Starting to sniff, Anna walked to the back corner and sank down, putting her head on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs tightly. It doesn't take long for the sobs to break loose again. This time, she makes absolutely no effort to stop them.

During this round of crying, she realized something about Patty. She was deathly afraid of her getting hurt. It was all just too similar to a year ago, where Hazel became her protector. While Patty couldn't defend Anna, she was just as concerned for Anna that Hazel was. Anna didn't want to let Patty die like she did for Hazel. She still blamed herself for not being able to protect her guardian last time. She couldn't bear to have that happen again. Anna's gut wrenched as she imagined Patty lying on the floor, a sword still in her. She could almost hear her say "it'll be okay" before her eyes frosting over like Hazel's did. After seeing that image in her mind, her body trapped a new reserve of tears from somewhere because Anna had thought all her tears were already gone from her aching eyes.

It took a few hours before Anna felt able to return and face her girls. The light was just beginning to fail again when she came trudging into the bedroom area. Her shoulders were slumped as though defeated by a hopeless situation, and her eyes looked haunted.

Patty watched her with obvious concern as she took her portion of the last meal and sat staring at it. While Anna knew she had to eat, she just didn't have the stomach for it. She got the occasional bite down, but mostly just moved the food around rather than take a bite.

A sudden noise from outside the room forced Anna into alertness. Both younger girls looked at Anna in concern. In the distance, they could hear the echo of a door slamming.

"Well now. This is new," commented Anna. "They haven't made noise or came in while the lights were still burning before. Patty, you and Lucette stay here and hide, if you can, while I check this out. If you hear fighting, stay in a different room than the fight, and stay out of the chess room we found Lucette in. If you go in there, you'll be cornered. Same goes for the bathroom." As Anna looked at Patty, they could each see the concern in the other's face. "It'll be all right."

"I believe you," was Patty's confident response.

Unsheathing her dagger, Anna moved between the rooms as quietly as she could manage. She passed into the dining room first. When she saw nothing in the dim light, she moved to the sitting room. Nothing appeared to be out of place there either. Looking across the room into the library, nothing gave her any reason for the slamming door.

'Well, well well well well well! Nothing. Maybe it was just the bathroom door. Hasn't done that before, but there is a first time for everything. I need to be sure though.'

Anna moved further into the sitting room so she could see through the side doors. Looking left, she could see through to the bathroom door. In the fading light, she could just tell the door was closed. Turning right, Anna can see a figure standing next to the chessboard. There wasn't enough light to make out any details except that she was looking at a woman's back. She appeared to be staring down at the table.

With the greatest of caution, Anna approached the door frame to get a better look at the new intruder. After a moment's inspection, Anna entered the room without hesitation or stealth. The figure at the table wore a pale blue, flowing dress. The defining point was a platinum blonde braid of hair draped over one shoulder. After about three steps in, Anna glanced to the closed doors on either side. 'No way out from here. Don't tell me they caught her too! If they can tap her down here successfully, then we ARE in trouble.'

Anna licked her lips, returned her dagger to her sheath and finally spoke to make her presence known. "Elsa?"

While waiting for a reply, she thought she heard a muffled sob. Walking up, else put a hand on her shoulder by her braid.

"Elsa, are you okay? Please, can you look at me? ...Elsa?"

Slowly, Elsa started to turn. The whole time, Elsa kept her hands nervously clutched near her breast and away from Anna. Turning towards her braid, the hair partially obscure her face. Anna could see bruising near the shoulders, and another muffled sob tore at her heart. 'What have they done to her? This has gone too far. They will pay for this treasonous treatment of my sister!'

Anna's attention was focused on Elsa's shoulder as her face finally started coming out from behind her braided hair. When Elsa unclenched her hands, Anna started to smile. That rapidly changed to stunned shock as Elsa backhanded her across the face. Staggering back, a stunned Anna puts one hand up to her cheek in disbelief. Things came back into sharp focus when the hidden dagger in Elsa's other hand swung round and gave her a half inch deep gash in her upper left arm.

Stepping back out of range, Anna is still in disbelief as she responds. "Elsa! Please no!" Looking up to Elsa's face, Anna got another shock. The left side of her face was a massive bruise. Some older bruises mottle her right side. A barely healed over cut makes its was from the jaw down her windpipe. Even grunts would be difficult without extreme pain, never mind speaking. Looking to her eyes gave Anna another familiar feeling - fear. Elsa's eyes shone with rage and a madness Anna had never seen there before. Even at her coronation, those eyes never burned into her like they did now. It was appeared that she didn't recognize Anna at all.

"Elsa, no! It's me, your sister Anna!"

Elsa's next wild swing had he jumping back to avoid it. 'Thank the gods Elsa never learned to fight. She has no skill, but her speed is crazy fast!'

As Elsa advanced with her dagger, Anna backtracked along the wall. She realized her mistake when she ran into the corner and had nowhere to go.

"Elsa please! I don't want to fight you!"

Anna tried to dodge out of the corner, but Elsa's speed once again caught Anna off guard. As Elsa closed in, Anna drew her dagger again in her off hand, but was careful to keep the flat of it to her sister. Elsa made no secret she was aiming at Anna's heart. Growling, Elsa lined and Anna was forced to bring her hands up to block.

Trying to grab at Elsa's wrists wasn't one of Anna's better plans. She wasn't a real fighter either, and had no experience fighting with her dagger in the wrong hand. She was also still in shock Elsa was actually trying to kill her. Between the shocks of Elsa's abuse, Elsa's ferocity, and her own wound, Anna was not thinking all that clearly. As Anna's own dagger dug into Elsa's arm, they both howled and Elsa's dagger clatter away. Anna howled in fear, while Elsa howled in pain and blind rage. Cringing into her corner, Anna stares at Elsa as tears roll down her face.

"Elsa, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... OH!"

Anna reels as she gets clubbed in the face again. Blows rain down on her head as Elsa pummeled her mercilessly. Dropping her dagger and covering her head, Anna refuses to fight back.

"Elsa please! I give up! I surrender! I won't fight you! I won't hurt you again!"

Blows continue to rain down as Anna collapses to the floor. In desperation, Anna sweeps her leg at Elsa's feet. All Anna can hear is ringing as Elsa lands on the floor next to her. Rolling on her sister, Anna can see the pained expression as she is pinned to the floor. Elsa struggles and bucks, looking like a cornered animal, but Anna holds on tight.

"Elsa please! Please! I don't want to hurt you. Just stop!"

Soon Elsa's struggles begin to lessen. Anna hopes she is just tiring after fighting so hard as the pained, wild look never leaves Elsa's eyes. Eventually, Elsa passes out from all her effort. Anna puts her hands on the ground beside Elsa, still sitting on her, and tries to catch her breath. Looking at Elsa's face, Anna sees a change in color, and realizes she isn't breathing. Her eyes are open and are giving her a blank stare.

"Elsa? Elsa! Answer me!"

As Elsa fails to respond, Anna starts moving backwards towards her feet. As one o of her hands comes down next to Elsa's waist, she realized Elsa was hurt worse than she thought. Bringing her hands up, she sees that it is covered in blood. Looking down to her own legs, she sees they are both coated all the way around from kneeling in the pooling blood. The puddle seemed huge, from just below Elsa's knees to her lower back all around her body.

"Elsa! No! Please no! Oh Elsa!" Tears streamed down Anna's face as she cupped Elsa's face with her bloody hands. Climbing completely off the body, Anna rolls her sister on her side and looks at her back. Anna's own dagger was pressed firmly into the girls back sharply angled down toward the buttocks. 'She must have fallen on it when I swept her legs out. Me climbing on her and then her struggling would have only pushed it deeper and caused more damage. Eventually, the blade had been buried up to its hilt.

Rolling her onto her back again after removing the offending dagger, Anna stares at Elsa's face, drinking in the details of the lifeless form. Looking at the slightly separated lips, she could see a slight burn at the corner of one mouth. Pulling the chin down slightly, she could see the tongue had been cut out with a hot blade. Great effort had been taken to avoid burning the face. The wound was fresh, but hadn't bled much due to the burning of the skin by the blade.

Anna kneeled on the floor next to her sister and cradled her head in her lap. Gently, she straightened a few stray hairs and sat there stroking the rest. The coarse hair practically tickled her palm with every stroke. After a couple minutes stroking, she realized it didn't feel right. 'Wait! Elsa had fine hair! If she wasn't careful braiding it, it was easily broken!' Peering deeper into the hair, she could just make out golden blonde roots at the base of the platinum hair. Looking at the face again, she found another difference. The light dusting of freckles around and over the bridge of her nose were missing. Whoever this poor person was, she wasn't Elsa.

Shaking, Anna gently placed the unknown girl back on the floor. While she was deeply relieved that it wasn't Elsa, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the girl's treatment. She was chosen because she could have been Elsa's identical twin, except for the hair color. She had been tortured beyond reason, and somehow they had made Anna look responsible. Why else would she have reacted so strongly to seeing Anna? The tongue and throat damage were likely to cover up any differences in voice so Anna wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"This happened because of me! This- this is all my fault!" whispered Anna ruefully. Her crying, which had never completely stopped, suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking. Her anguished cries could be heard in any of the rooms in her little corner of hell, unless there was running water to cover up the sound.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I'm letting my sadistic side out of its cage for this part of the story, as these latest chapters have shown. As the lord says near the end of this chapter, everything done to Anna has a reason. I'll say no more until the time is right. (Insert sinister laugh here.)

...

This happened because of me! This- this is all my fault!" whispered Anna ruefully. Her crying, which had never completely stopped, suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking. Her anguished cries could be heard in any of the rooms in her little corner of hell, unless there was running water to cover up the sound.

Patty had stood by the door after Anna left listening for the sound of battle. She had heard howling and Anna pleading with someone, but was unable to make out what was said. She knew she should be hiding, but she was too worried about Anna. She did have Lucette at the foot of one of the stone beds with a blanket hanging down over her. In the failing light, it didn't look too much like a person hiding. She could clearly hear anguished crying later in the battle, and the howling was getting less and less over time, until eventually only the crying remained.

'It's not fair! A princess shouldn't have to deal with more than what dress to wear to the next ball. I don't know if I want that crying to be from Anna. It was either Anna, and her heart was breaking again, or somebody crying about killing Anna, which didn't sound much worse at the moment. I can't go check yet, I don't know if the battle is over. Somebody has to pay for giving her all this pain. It's not fair, she has to good a heart! They're ripping it into pieces!'

By the time Patty was sure the battle was over, lights were out in other rooms, and all but dead in the bedroom area. Patty got Lucette into bed and went back to the doorway to wait. If Anna won, then they were safe. If she lost, hopefully Lucette died in her sleep when they came for them. She sat there listening to the crying most of the night, not daring to leave when Anna couldn't see who she was. The crying eventually fading from her hearing shortly before lanterns returned to life. Since Anna had not yet returned and Lucette was still sleeping, Patty quietly left the room to find Anna.

Anna could be heard still sobbing, and when Patty peered into the chess room, Anna was still kneeling next to the body. This one wasn't dressed like the previous killers, but blood was thick near bottom of the body. Tears were long since dried up, and Anna's face was red. Anna's legs and her hands were covered in dry blood.

"Anna, are you alright?" When Anna didn't answer, Patty walked around the pool of blood to put her arms around Anna from behind.

"Who was this? Did you know her?"

Sniffling, Anna is obviously trying to answer, but was barely able to manage a whisper. "Thankfully, I don't know her. Our captors chose someone who could be my sister's twin. They made it so she couldn't talk, and best her around the face. I - I didn't fight back when she attacked me because I thought it WAS Elsa."

"Looks like Lucette too."

"Lucette was chosen for the same reason."

"Anna, you had to kill her didn't you?"

Anna's only response was a nod of the head.

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

"I wasn't trying to, but it happened anyway. She was hitting me on the head so I knocked her feet out and pinned her to the ground. I wanted to talk to her. My dagger was on the ground and I didn't realize she had landed on it. While struggling to get me off, my dagger went deeper and deeper into her back. Because she couldn't talk and kept struggling, I didn't realize what was happening until she died. I thought I had killed my only remaining sister, the last of my family in Arendelle. She's one of the few things I'd give up my life for, and almost did die once."

"Anna, it wasn't her. You told me that yourself. If you wouldn't attack her, then I assume she attacked you first. Whatever they're doing, it's not giving you any other options. You can't blame yourself for this!"

"That's not the point. About a year ago, I m-made a plan to kill somebody that looked like my sister, to protect the people of Arendelle. I knew it wasn't her when I did it, but that didn't matter. I still haven't recovered from that. Regardless of how it happened our what caused it, I've now done it twice in the last year or so. Being an accident doesn't make it any less painful. I didn't even figure out it wasn't Elsa until after she was dead. I thought the pain in my heart was bad a year ago, but this, this was infinitely worse. I wanted to die when I saw what I had done."

Nodding, Patty thinks hard before responding. "A couple years ago, I was given some good advice from another homeless person. It kept my strength up at the lowest part of my life, when I blamed everybody else for how bad my situation was. She said that no matter what anybody does or says to you, ultimately they don't control your life. They can only control it if you allow it. She believed that right up to the end, when she froze to death that winter. She died, but she was always content with what she could get and nobody was able to force their view on her unless she allowed it. It's the same here. Don't lose yourself because of somebody else's sick game, you're not being fair to yourself when you do. I'm not certain what ultimately means, but she emphasized that weird when she gave me that advise and I've never forgotten it. The meaning is in the rest of the words."

"Anna, remember that you never asked for any of this. Even stretched as far as you could go, you still chose to help Lucette and me. There was no way we could survive this alone, and you had enough heart to take us under your wing. Nobody, not even me, expects you to give more than you are willing or able to give, regardless of what happens. You've already done more than anybody not sick in the head could expect."

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better," replies Anna as she hugs the younger girl. "It's because of people like you that I got through this a year ago. I had completely given up before a man very dear to me, like a father, gave me the courage to drag myself up and go on." Anna continued talking as she released the girl. "I just don't know how to get through it this time."

"You had people to help you before, I'll do my best to help you now. Not because your a princess, or a fellow prisoner, but because I believe in you. You've done more for me down here than anybody else has ever done before. You could say you've earned my loyalty, and I'll do everything I can to help you. Just let me know what you need, and I'll be there to help." With that, she puts a hand on Anna's arm and gives it a reassuring squeeze, quickly followed up with a hug to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"What would I do without you?"

"Likely cry a lot more, and give up hope. Let's see if we can delay that a few more days at least."

Anna's laugh is cut short by a scream from Lucette in another room. The girls rose to their feet, Anna snatching up her dagger on the way. After a brief glance at each other and a nod from Anna, both girls bolt into the reading room, Anna just barely in front of Patty. Straight across the room and through the next doorway, they can see Lucette outside the bathroom with a look of horror on her face. She seemed frozen in fear as she faced the bathing room. With her dagger at the ready, Anna races into the room, looking around for another assassin.

Startled, Lucette looks over at Anna before stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. A look of stunned confusion rules her face as she looks back and forth between the bathing room and Anna, ignoring Patty completely. Without a word from Anna, she races to Lucette to help her up and be ready to run.

All three girls looked over to the bathing area, allowing Anna and Patty to see what scared Lucette so much. Peeking around the doorway is the head of a body on the floor. The remainder of the body was hidden around the corner of the frame. While the head was facing them, it was hidden behind the twin copper braids of hair. Obviously, Lucette had thought it was Anna.

While Anna tried to get a better look without going near the door, Patty helped Lucette back to her feet. Lucette had clearly been disturbed at seeing 'Anna' dead, and was trembling violently. When it had calmed down some, Patty started walking to the doorway to check on the unconscious person. She was surprised when Anna put up an arm to block her.

"NO! Let me go first. I can think of too many things that could go wrong, and most of them wind up with somebody dead. Just because some of us expected this is no reason not to take care. I'll circle around and come at her from the library. Stay here and keep an eye on her. Call out if she so much as twitches. Don't forget to watch for whoever put her here, they may still be lurking."

At Patty's nod, Anna backtracked to the library through the sitting room. All seemed calm as Anna approached the door to the bathing room. Through to door frame, she can see when appears to be a girl with long copper hair in twin braids and a tattered green dress. Based on size, she appeared to be about Lucette's age.

'He must have had people watching the look alike competitions some of the villages have. I knew they were doing Elsa, but I didn't realize they might be doing me too!'

Anna creeped to the girl on the ready for an attack, but didn't really expect one. Not after the chessboard indicated she would be on their side. Even the people tricked into trying to kill Anna were listed on her side of the board. She just didn't know if this girl had been tricked. Based on appearance and that Lucette wasn't a problem, she would bet the girl herself was not an issue. As she closed in on the girl, the familiar stench from the bag they threw over her head oh so long ago reached her nose. The smell got heady by the time she reached the girl, and Anna could see remnants of the goo still in her hair when she got closer enough.

"Patty! She's alone and it's safe to come in., With the strong smell of their knockout goo on her, there is NO way she's still conscious."

Anna carefully picked the girl up and brought her over to the pool to clean her hair. It seemed only her head was in contact with the stuff. While cleaning her, Anna noticed a blood stain on the front of her shirt. She decided to remain quiet about it so as not to alarm Lucette. She was sure Patty would have already noticed. That girl didn't miss much. After cleaning her up Anna brought her back to the bedroom to check her out further. Patty and Lucette had washed up at the same time and followed Anna to the other room. While walking, the girls could hear Anna addressing them.

"I'm sorry Lucette. I should have warned you. Thanks to the chessboard in the room we found you in, Patty and I knew to expect somebody who looks like me. You were asleep when Patty and I talked about it and I forgot you didn't know."

"Lucette, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have left you alone without waking you first..." starts Patty only to be interrupted by Anna.

"What's done is done. You wouldn't have had to come find me if I had just come back sooner. Don't you start beating yourself up over your decisions. One of us doing that is bad enough - beating THEMSELVES up that is."

Anna laid the girl down on the bed, and started looking for injuries on exposed skin. "Gods above, I didn't think I was that heavy at this age! The rapid events over the last while must be tiring me out," Anna whispered under her breath. The girl had a strong pulse and even breathing as she laid there. Anna was about to open the girl's shirt to see if the blood was hers when she paused.

"Patty, I need you to take Lucette and see if they have given us our next meal. Make sure to save some for our friend if there is. Take your time coming back, but don't go to the chess room yet. You already know why. While our captors are exceedingly efficient in their clean-up, I don't think even they are this fast.

"What does exceedingly efficient mean?" asked Lucette.

"In this case, it means very good and very quick."

"What will you be doing?" asked Patty.

"Checking for injuries under her clothes, among other things. It was awkward enough when we first met, that maybe I can spare her some embarrassment by doing it now."

"Ahh, I see. We'll wait to hear you call before coming back. Promise you'll call if we're needed?"

"Who else?" asked Anna with a weak smile.

"Hey, I'm only a shout away." indicated Patty as she led Lucette to the dining room.

Taking a deep breath, Anna opened the girls top. Under the shirt's blooodstains are shallow cuts and more smeared blood. Anna tore a strip out of her previous dress for a cloth and carefully cleaned the wound. Anna startled when she realized there was a simple pattern. Tears threatened to fall again as she uncovers the shape of a heart with a big 'X' over it.

"I'm sorry. At least you aren't conscious to feel the pain of me cleaning this up. Dammit, use paper if you want to send me a message. Don't use the skin off a little g-girl who only had the misfortune to look like m-me!" complained Anna quietly through her tears.

As the wound was superficial and the bleeding had not restarted, Anna completed her examination for injuries and weapons. Even with the girl being unconscious, Anna felt extremely awkward checking certain areas for weapons. Anna heaved a sigh of relief when she found nothing. She felt like a child molester after having to perform the check, but it was necessary for safety reasons.

Anna tore the remains of her previous dress into bandages long enough to wrap around the girl. She had to tear it in a spiral coming up from the bottom to get enough long ones. As she finished tearing the last bandage with arms of lead, she called out.

"Patty, Lucette! I am going to need help bandaging a wound! Can you come back please?"

"Coming," came a distant reply. It only took a minute or two for the girls to reach Anna. When she heard them coming, Anna sat just in front of the unconscious girl and pulled her up to lean on Anna's shoulder. She didn't want to have to explain to Lucette about the carving, although she would tell Patty later. While the Anna's girls kept her upright, Anna wrapped bandages around the new girl's chest. Once her top was done back up, Anna gently laid the girl down on the bed.

While Anna was finishing with the young girl's clothes, she noticed Lucette starting to cry.

"It's alright Lucette. She'll be fine."

"It's not her. I thought somebody had beat you in a fight, and killed you. I didn't know if Patty was dead somewhere else, or if I'd be next."

"You couldn't have known. Please don't worry about us. Everybody is alive and mostly unhurt. It will help if we all try to stay strong and help each other. Everything will be alright if we just stick together."

"Will it?"

"Yeah," answered Anna. She just wished she believed what she was saying.

...

"Well captain? Did Anna get our message?"

"Yes, my lord. She has taken in the child and has tended to the wound. However, the child still sleeps."

"Hmmmm, the ointment we use on the sacks must be getting old and separating. It matters not. Elsa should be closing in before long. She obviously survived our Elsa's arrival." The lord's chuckle at this was enough to send shivers down the captain's spine.

"Yes, my lord, but only by a narrow margin and through dumb luck. Anna had dropped her dagger, and when she later tripped Elsa, she fell on it."

"Was the girl suitably agitated to attack Anna on sight?"

"She was docile as a lamb until Anna got her to turn around. Once that happened, she attacked like a wild animal."

"Excellent. We need to note that dosage. We may need to drug another and send them in, if time permits. We could also slip the drug to one of the others under her care. It's possible we may need to drug Anna herself, if the end game does not go as planned. How did Anna handle fighting her sister?"

"Not as well as you would like, my lord. She wouldn't fight back with lethal force, and even tried to surrender."

"Disappointing. Her training isn't going as fast as I thought. We need to send in the dart. She has grown too attached to the first girl, and taking her out would push Anna into a useless pile of mush. The last one is too new, and she might not bond as well to her copy as she might to her sister's copy. No, I think we target the blonde girl, Lucette I believe? She should have been there long enough to get under Anna's skin, but not far enough to destroy her will if she dies. That should spur her into action, and get her training back on track."

"Yes, my lord. He'll have to attack while the lanterns are lit. He will need light to aim."

"Obviously. I want a full report on her reaction. The dart believes we will extract him before Anna can catch him, but I have heard from a little birdy that he may have sympathy for the princess. I know he hates children, so targeting a child shouldn't be an issue. I think we'll let the princess have him, but if she captures him alive, we will need to take steps. She can't be allowed more information than I'm willing to give her, and that is almost nothing. We must be careful. If our timing is off, my revenge will be incomplete."

"I may be able to better direct things as you desire if I knew what you were planning, my lord."

"All in good time, captain. Just know that there is a purpose to everything we do to the princess. All will come clear when the time is right. Dismissed."

"Very good, my lord," replies the captain hesitantly before turning to leave.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: many thanks to my readers who put up with my delays for so long. Working to avoid those until retribution is completed. After that, Refrozen redemption will be in the works, and will start posting when I have something. That may not be immediately. But I promise it will come. There will be a chapter where I considered changing the rating to M, but those that previewed it don't think it's necessary. I'm not so sure.

Anyway, on with our story. Reviews and input are appreciated.

...

The tavern was having its best ale sales ever. Thanks to lodging the queen right above the storage room, her pacing was keeping it ice cold. It also had guards posted outside so nobody could start a fire beneath the queen. Nobody could get in to steal the cold brew. Elsa, for her part, was completely unaware of the effect she was having. The barkeep had no intention of informing her either.

Frustration, bordering on panic kept ice forming all over her room. She had no idea if Anna had come to harm, physically or mentally. Elsa could just imagine Anna sitting in a corner, hands on her head, and wishing the world would just go away again. With the event of the previous year, Anna's emotional stability was questionable at best. The lack of any new leads over the last week, and all current leads exhausted, didn't help her mood in the slightest.

Dropping into a chair at her room's table, Elsa put her head down on her arms, about ready to cry from worry. It wouldn't due for anybody to see the queen in that state, but she was at her wits end. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold it back much longer.

'knock, knock'

Elsa straightened her dress and took a deep breath before answering the knock. "Yes?" replied Elsa wearily. "Who is it?"

The door opened to admit three guard and a very scared looking young woman. She appeared to be under twenty, barefoot, and plainly dressed in clothing with no rips. Elsa almost wanted to shout in joy, because the guards wouldn't come before her this way if it wasn't important. Elsa almost felt guilty for being happy they were scaring this poor girl to death.

"Your majesty, we thought you might want to question this young lady directly. The innkeeper downstairs caught her leaving this on a table." As he finished speaking, the guard stepped forward and handed Elsa a piece of paper.

'Queen Elsa. Anna has received only minor injuries up to now, but you need to speed up your search. She is holding her own when it was just herself, but the master has managed to get her to defend two children as well. It is causing her to take risks that could get her seriously hurt. Soon a third child may be joining them. I'm doing what little I can to help, but time is getting short. You are still looking too far north.'

"Well, I'm going to count this as a pleasant surprise, at least for the moment. Do I have you to thank for this 'type' of information reaching me? If so, I'm in your debt."

The woman looked around with a fearful expression, her gaze lingering briefly on each guard present. Looking back to the queen, she stammered a response. "Your majesty, I don't understand. What do you mean? If you mean the writing on the paper, I-I can't read."

With only a slight pause and narrowing eyes, Elsa's whole demeanor hardened instantly. "You know of my powers, obviously. You should also already know what I can do with the weather, defending myself, or affecting the welfare of others." As she paused her speech, she picked up an apple and held it up for the girl to see. The girl's face turned to horror as Elsa turned it into solid ice. "Imaging that happening to a hand, a foot, or even a whole person. I would hate to see that happen again. I almost killed my sister that way before I got control of my powers. I'm in full control of them note. I assume you understand all this?"

At the girl's uncertain nod, Elsa continued. Then you also realize what it could mean for you if you lie to me. I love my sister dearly, and there is little I wouldn't do to get her back safely. Do you understand what I'm saying in regards to you?"

The girl nodded and looked on, total fear showing on her face. "As long as we understand how seriously I am taking this situation. Guards, you may leave. I will call you when I'm done talking to this young woman."

Both Elsa and the girl waited in silence while the guards left. Once the door shut, Elsa's serious posture melted away. "You can relax. I understand your concern for being overheard. I've layered the outside of the walls, floor, and roof with ice to maintain our privacy. They won't hear a peep. You are in no danger from me unless I catch you in a lie our you attack me. Neither of those would end well for you, so let's try to avoid that if possible. I won't let my guard down completely, but you will come to absolutely no harm as long as you're honest with me. Please, I beg you. I need to know, did you write the notes?"

The woman looked at Elsa in confusion and doubt for a moment before she obviously made a decision. She started speaking slowly. "The latter ones, yes. The only reason they haven't caught me is that I hide the fact I actually can read and write quite well."

"Then you know where Anna is. Please, please, tell me where she is."

"I can't. Your movement is watched by a spy in your camp. I don't know who. If your search doesn't look natural, all servants will be considered traitors. Those servants and the princess would not survive the hour."

Elsa nods, tears in her eyes. "If I can move in more slowly, move forward at the same pace we have been going, would you be willing to provide a location? I promise to keep the search widespread until we are on top of the location."

The woman paused for a moment looking at Elsa. "I can, but I must go back very soon. As I said, there is a spy in your camp and if I'm not released soon, the princess will either be moved or killed. If he moves her, he'll start over in a new location with all new servants. The old ones would be put to the sword to ensure nobody talks to you. He is a monster, and is intent on hurting you and the princess for some past wrong. He won't discuss how around servants, and I don't believe he's told the guards either. Now I beg you, your majesty, please keep this meeting short."

"Yes, I completely understand. I commend you on your loyalty. Will you be able directing us after this?"

"Not after this meeting. I will be under suspicion because they won't know what I've told you. Your majesty, you wanted me to be honest. I'm poor and I have no direct reason to be loyal to the crown. While I support the crown, I don't know how they are getting me farther ahead. I doing this because it's the right thing to do, and nobody should be treated like the princess is now."

Nodding, Elsa rises and crosses the room to retrieve a map. "Regardless of your reasons, I thank you anyway. I guess I better make the most of this opportunity then." As Elsa spread the map on the table, , she made room for the other woman. It took a couple minutes of searching, but eventually she smiled and pointed.

"There is a farmhouse in this area. They use a red lantern on the porch it indicate it is safe to access the princess. Any other color means don't go in. They never use open flame or white. It almost never changes from red."

"We already searched that region."

Do you scrape barb stalks to bare earth? Hay is hiding a trap door in the second stall to the right of the entrance. There will be hay, as I said, but almost no signs of animal use. Any of the other stalls are used for cattle, but not this one so they can't damage the trap door."

Nodding, Elsa looks at the woman directly. "Thank you. You don't know how grateful I am that you gave me this information. What about you? What if they figure out you helped us?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Same as the previous person who attempted to help the princess. I become worm food. Still, it was the right thing to do."

"Don't let that happen. If you can get away, come to the castle and we'll see about making that difference in your life. It appears I wasn't quite as good a queen as I thought. At the very least, you would get a comfortable job and regular meals."

"I hope I'll be able to take you up on that."

As Elsa put away her maps, she continued talking. "I'll be waiting, and would show you my gratitude from the depths of my heart. Hopefully, you'll get to meet Anna in better terms. Get ready for some dramatics, and remember to look scared. Ready?"

At the woman's nod, Elsa turned to the window. Moments later, glass could be heard cracking before the while frame splinters and flies from the building. Elsa could be heard swearing throughout the inn and bar nearby. After a few more choice words, Elsa called the guards back in.

"Captain, get her out of my sight. She can't read, let alone write a note. She was given the note and a few small coins to put it on the table. The person who got her involved wore a cloak with the hood up. The man's face was never uncovered." Elsa then turns to the window and swears quietly again. Pulling out her own money pouch, she fished out a gold coin and tosses it to the girl. "When I blew out the window, I accidentally sent your money with it. That coin Will more than cover all the money I saw in the pouch."

"At once, your majesty," replied the captain.

"Th-thank you, your majesty," stutters the woman, looking totally shaken. "I-I wish I was as wise and g-gracious as you in this kind of trouble."

Elsa nodded. "You have no idea. Off you go."

The woman exited the door quickly, and the three guards turned to go.

"Captain, stay a moment."

"Yes, your majesty." The captain nodded to his men and waited for the door to shut before speaking again. "What can I do for you?" asked the captain as Elsa pulled the maps out again.

"I'm concerned my impatience may have pushed your men into searching some areas too fast. If we haven't found any new leads in the next couple days, I would like to revisit some of these areas. All we have to go on right now is an ambiguous note indicating we are too far north. We don't know it the note is correct or not."

"My queen, it would be difficult to go much farther north without invading another kingdom. Rather than make our neighbors more nervous, we may as well turn the search south now."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that. I think we should move into this area and work our way west," indicated Elsa as the captain listened on.

...

Anna stood watch over her latest charge. The other girls slept soundly, confident that Anna was awake to protect them. Anna idly watched them sleep as she waited for her charge to wake up.

'Gods, I'm tired. They've gone from weeks between attacks to several things happening almost at once. I hope that means Elsa is closing in so they have to move quicker. At least they can sleep. I can barely remember the castle bed anymore. Now I just wish I could get a turn with the blankets to sleep. It always seems I've let them have them when I go to lay down. The stone isn't very comfortable, but at least I know I'm not tangled in blankets when we get attacked.' While Anna stared at the girl's, she realized her head was drooping. She got startled out of her stupor when the new girl shifted and moaned in her sleep. She did that every once in a while. As Anna sat, she idly thought the was almost a beat, or musical rhythm to it. She never noticed later when her chin reached her chest and gentle snoring could be heard.

Anna awoke to bright sunshine and the chirping of birds. As she picked her head up of the table, she looked around. She was seated at a octagon shaped table built onto an old tree stump. Three chairs were equally spaced around the table with chocolates and cups of juice in the middle. Anna tried standing up, but a tree root was wrapped around her upper legs and below the knee on her left leg. She could see the end of the root as it doubled back and joined itself part way up the leg. It didn't hurt. It could even be called comfortable, but it effectively tired her to her chair.

"Where do I remember this from?" mumbled Anna with a smile. She realized she was dreaming again, and that meant another talk with Hazel or Della. Often it was both. Just the thought of seeing them again broadened her smile further. It felt off to smile, but oh so right. "Hazel!? Della!? Are you here?"

"Coming!" answered a voice from the trees. Moments later, Hazel and Della both walked into the clearing. Hazel still work her sash and the lighter colors Elsa preferred, while Della had taken to reds, deep blues, or black in her clothes. Anna immediately noted Hazel's look of concern as well as Della's smug grin.

"I still find it oddly comforting to see you both, but why am I a little nervous this time?" asked Anna, still smiling.

Hazel looked down and smiled. "In my opinion, you should be a little nervous, but Della has an offer for you. You've already guessed that I have my concerns, but Della convinced me there is enough merit in it to let you decide if you want to accept it or not. Della and are actively looking for ways to ease those concerns."

"Now Hazel, I'm willing to put myself completely at yours and Anna's mercy if she is willing to try this. Anna, you know you have untrained magic, which can be dangerous when control is lost. We saw what happened with your sister over the last couple years. You also know I have some skill when it comes to controlling magic. I've had a fair amount of practice with Elsa, before you and I met for the final time in person. What I propose is to train you in how to use it. The catch is we can't do it through these dreams."

"I assume this is where I'm supposed to get nervous?" asked Anna with a mischievous grin.

"I'm afraid so," answered Hazel. It means moving Della's and my conscious minds into your body. We would all share hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Only one of us would be able to control the body at a time, with you trumping us, and me trumping Della. Della could then assume control of your powers to show you how to use them safely. You would be able to take control and stop either of us at any time. As an added safety, I would be there to monitor and block Della's access to your powers, if needed."

"And what do you get out if this, Della? What's your price?" Anna could feel her heart jump at the opportunity to control what powers she had.

"A chance to live again, to smell the fresh air, and to enjoy the things that I can no longer access. The ultimate prize is a new body, created by your sister and animated by your magic. I can't move my own mind using your powers. It must be done by another, which is why I'm willing to put myself in such a subservient position. You would need to be an adept with your powers at a minimum, or the transfer of my conscious minds would fail. Failure would mean if be gone from existence, not just alive or dead. There would be no way to retrieve me in that case so I have a good incentive to train you well."

"We are still working on the necessary safeguards to safely join with you and to prevent abuse of your powers," added Hazel.

"Won't I have to be trained to move you to me? I don't see how that would work."

"Technically, we are with you now, thanks to your powers. This is where we are having our differences. We set up the framework without your magic involved. The big problem is that we need to give Della total control over your magic so she can hold us here as you wake up. You can't do it while going from asleep to awake. There would be nothing to prevent her from purging both of us and just taking your body and assuming your life. Depending on how she acts, nobody would be able to tell the difference."

"That would be tedious, acting like you all the time until it slowly and painfully changes to something more palatable. Cheeky wouldn't be hard, but the lovy-dovy garbage would drive me mad. I'd rather wait and her my own body without having to be sick before bed."

"Be nice Della," chuckled Anna. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I think I'll pass for now. I believe you have enough honor in you that you wouldn't really hurt me, but I don't have the time to learn while I'm trapped. Maybe after I get out of this hole, but I can't afford to stop my physical training if we want to survive right now."

"Speaking of which, Trish should be waking up soon. We need to go," commented Hazel.

"SHIT! I'm supposed to be keeping watch, not sleeping!" cried Anna in sudden alarm.

"You bring asleep is our fault, as we needed to talk to you. You are in no danger tonight. Go meet Trish, your latest reason to live," answered Della as everything turned grey.

Anna was barely able to get out a "Thank you" followed by a whispered "but I don't want you to go," before everything faded to nothing. She was getting more and more comfortable around Della, and she wasn't sure that should be a good thing.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: rough draft complete with fairly long chapters. Should be about 27 chapters including a lead in to Refrozen Redemption. Just need to add a few details (fluff) and enter into my electronics to post. Hope to keep a similar schedules to my recent postings. Got this one ready quicker than expected and couldn't wait any longer to post. On with our story.

...

"You bring asleep is our fault, as we needed to talk to you. You are in no danger tonight. Go meet Trish, your latest reason to live," answered Della as everything turned grey.

Anna was barely able to get out a "Thank you" followed by a whispered "but I don't want you to go," before everything faded to nothing. She was getting more and more comfortable around Della, and she wasn't sure that should be a good thing.

...

Anna woke with a start, drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. The frequent dreams with Hazel and Della were actually very comforting, but Anna wasn't sure if they were real. Was it just her way of Trying to stay sane in an insane place? On some level, she couldn't shake the feeling they were real. She actually prayed for it, although she couldn't see how it could happen. The proof may be in the coming though. Both her dream companions had called the new girl by name, Trish. The girl hadn't been awake yet to give a name, so she really had no way to know in advance... unless she was actually meeting with her dead companions. But it couldn't be real, could it?

Movement from the girl's direction drew Anna's attention. It wasn't quite the same as her unconscious movements, and was becoming more frequent. So we're her moans of pain. Remembering how painful and disoriented she felt after waking up here, Anna waited about ten minutes before breaking her silence.

"You're awake, good. Try not to move, sit up, or stand right away. The goo they use to keep you knocked out will make you wish they killed you if you try too soon. I don't know what you've been through before now, but your as safe as you can be while I'm with you. Remember, no fast movements or your head Will feel like somebody hit it with a battle axe. I still remember how that feels."

"Who-who are you?"

"My name is Anna. I was brought here and dumped in this place while I was unconscious. I've lost track of time, but I think that was over a month ago. Two others were also brought after I arrived. I've taken on trying to keep us all alive long enough to get out of here. Patty and Lucette are their names, and I believe you are all about the same age."

"I-I hurt. Did you hurt me?"

"No, not directly. You may have been hurt because of me though, so I do feel responsible for your injury. Somebody who doesn't like me was trying to send me a cruel message, and they used your body to do it. I bandaged your wounds while you were unconscious, but I don't have the ability to do more. The reason you were chosen to deliver this message is because you look like me."

"You-your princess Anna?"

"Yes."

"A girl told me her matter was coming to rip your heart out and to let you know. He wants to break you to pieces, whatever that means."

"He's been trying. You look like me, Lucette looks like queen Elsa. Our captor has forced me into the roll of protector, as I have the most ability and strength. He seems to know me well, and knows I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try. I will be extending that protection to you and he know it. As far as I can tell, I'm the only reason any of you were brought into this, so I need to try to do something about it. In order to hurt you again, he'll have to go through me first. I am very sorry you've been brought here, and I'll do what I can to help. Try to rest. We'll talk more when they give us light again."

"Princess Anna, I'm scared."

"Please, just call me Anna. Titles man nothing here, and I'm not sure I really deserve that title after the things I've had to do down here. I'm scared too, but I'll still do all I can to help you.

Anna leaned back against the wall before she remembered something. "One last thing before you close your eyes. You know who I am, but I don't know you. What should I call you?"

"My mum was a freed slave from a land south of here. I don't know where, but I was named after my grandmum. I can't even pronounce it so we just shorten it to Trish."

Anna blinked and jerked her head back in surprise. The unfortunate feeling you get when the back of your head impacts a hard stone wall suddenly presented itself to Anna. 'How did they know? I couldn't have guessed her name in a million years. If it was just a dream, there would have been almost NO way I could guess that name. Was it really real? Oh Hazel...'

Sitting in silence, Anna could hear Trish quietly sobbing. Silent tears flowed down her face as she sat there listening. She wasn't sure what made her cry more, the fact that another innocent was unjustly brought into this mess, or that it might be possible Hazel was really contacting her.

Anna was still awake hours later when the lights came back on. Her girls woke up on their own soon after. For the first while, Trish just stood in the background while the other girls babbled at each other, sometimes even giggling. After a minute or two, Anna walked over.

"Good morning Trish."

"Good morning, milady."

"Titles mean nothing here. Until we get out, I'm just Anna and we are all equals here. With what I've had to do down here, I don't think anybody would call me a princess. Not anymore. Anyway, if it's alright with you, may I check your wounds now that we have better light?"

At Trish's nod, Anna turned to Patty. "Could you and Lucette head down to the baths for a little while? I'd like to give Trish some privacy while I check her wounds."

"Of course, Anna. Lucette, let's hit the baths. We won't be too long. That water is too cold to be in a long time."

As the girls wall out, Anna noticed Trish looking around at the few things in the room. Her eyes often returned to the small collection of daggers she collected from her would-be assassins.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes ma'am."

Sighing, Anna continued talking. "Well, let's get this over with before they get back. I need to know if your wounds are getting infected. We don't have much down here for clean bandages."

Anna carefully helped Trish open her top to expose her bandage. Great care was taken removing the wrap so the cuts wouldn't be reopened. As she exposed the wound, Anna once again felt flushed with guilt.

"Those aren't normal bandages, are they?"

"What... Oh, no. The only thing we had to make bandages from was a dress I got for being 'good'. It was all we had to work with, and we needed them.

"You shouldn't be using your clothes as bandages. You're the princess."

"The clothes were ruined already, and the only other option was using the blankets. We need those at night."

"But I'm nobody important. Your..."

"Trish, in here you are just as important as I am. Nobody is less than anybody else. We'd all be dead by now if I tried to think like that."

"You should never have been brought into this. You don't know how sorry I am that you have to be here," comments Anna as she gently examined the wound with her fingertips. As her fingers worked, Ana noted a warm feeling in her hand. 'Great, even my hand is getting embarrassed having to touch so close to... What the hell?'

Anna's eyes widen in amazement as she literally watches the cuts close, skin reconnect and turn red, and finally fade from red to a faint white scar. Looking up to Trish's face, her eyes are closed. She looked contented and was slightly smiling.

"A-are you okay, Trish? ...Trish?"

"Huh, oh yeah. I'm fine. You have a nice touch. Please, you can keep doing whatever you need to do. You're not hurting me at all."

"Ummm, I don't... I don't know what I did. Your cuts just shrunk to faint scars. Your wound is gone."

"Oh. Well, whatever you did, I feel wonderful now."

"Oh-kay, I guess. Let's just... Let's get rid of this bandage. You don't seem to need it anymore. If you feel any pain or anything off there, let me know as soon as you can."

Trish nodded as Anna kept removing the bandage completely. Anna was almost done when she spoke again. "A-are you really the princess?"

"Yes, but if you want to trade places, I'd consider the offer."

"I - that's not what I meant. What I mean is that there is a powerful man after you and the queen."

"I know," answered Anna quietly. "He put us all down here. Him being after my family is the only reason you got dropped in this snake pit with us."

"SNAKES! WHERE!?" screeched Trish, lifting her feet.

"Don't worry, there are no real snakes down her. That's just what this man remind me of, and this place is his pit. Did you ever see him? Nobody else has." Trish's response caused Anna to look up intently as she removed the last of the bandage.

"Once, but I don't think I was supposed to. He was a short, skinny man with no hair on top of his head. What bit of hair he still had was completely white. The girl I talked to said to do anything he says immediately and avoid him if I could. She said he was always angry. He talks down to everybody, and keeps complaining about those 'monstrous girls' who ruined him. I think he meant you and the queen."

"I'm sure he did, but I don't think we ruined anybody with that description. The closest I can think of is Hans from a couple years back. He was a prince and we all but sent him home in chains. He had a full head of bright red hair though. Anyway, you better get your shirt done back up. I think I hear the others coming."

"Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for healing me. I guess magic must run in your family."

"You're welcome. As for magic, it can be beautiful, but it sometimes feels like a curse. I don't really think I have any magic." Trish just smiled weakly.

When everybody was back, Anna called them all together for a meeting. "I think everybody knows each other's names, but that's not why I called everybody together. Yes, I know my ramblings are almost as legendary as my messy bedroom, but I don't think we have time for that now. In any event, the reason you are all here is my fault. You are being used as a way to control me, and it has been very effective. Things are changing, and it may not be in a good way. Attacks were spread out, but are now coming quickly. Thanks to a certain chessboard, I think our group is now complete. Everything that has happened here is aimed at hurting me, testing me, and to a certain degree brainwashing me, including the added strain of trying to protect innocent people. That's you. They seem to know how I'll react before they send in another person to be protected or to try and kill me. This means they also know I'll try to protect you, even if it means I might not survive. I couldn't live with myself if I just let you guys fire. Not gonna happen. Two of you were taken based solely on your resemblance to me and the queen, and your inability to protect yourselves. Patty, I would guess you were one of the first ones taken, before they found Lucette and Trish, and that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"No matter why we are here, we are all in this together and it appears I am the only person capable of a reasonable defence. I-I'm not a fighter, though it might seem otherwise. Up to now, everyone I fought off has had even less fighting ability or a disadvantage. They seem to be pushing me to do something, but I don't know what."

"Is that why you're in an assassin's outfit?" asked Patty.

"I'm... what?"

"Your clothes are used by assassin's in areas that never get cold enough for snow. They're useless for winter weather here. I-I heard of them a few years back and was told to avoid anyone dressed like you are right now."

"I.. got these from our captors when my first dress got soaked in blood. The second dress was closer to this than I was used to, and my first dress disappeared soon after. Later they gave me this one and we managed to keep my second dress for bandages. I had no idea.."

"Well, how you're dressed is not important to me. I'm just glad you're here now," piped up Lucette.

"Yes, well... My point is anything that happens here is aimed at hurting me or controlling me somehow. Most of it has been aimed at breaking my spirit, or pushing me to be ready for some unknown task. I'm not sure the final reason for this madman sending you in. It may be a way to keep me from trying to escape without you, or something more sinister."

"If I'm right and our group is now complete, then things will change. It will become even more dangerous. There are certain things you all need to do if, or when, we are attacked next. Always stay low and out of the way. I will throw daggers higher so I won't hit any of you. Don't draw their attention. Let them focus on me as the biggest threat for them. If it's dark, hide in the corners, and only move if they get too close. If it's lit, hide as best you can and stay still. If in doubt, follow Patty's lead. She's been here longest of you three, and has shown good instincts. You won't be able to talk to me until the battle is over. Let me focus on fighting, and only call me if you're cornered or someone is about to get killed."

"We'll follow your lead," indicated Patty confidently.

"Thank you Patty. I need to see how they are trying to brainwash me today, so I can figure out how I can stop them. I'm going to the library room to see if they added any more books. I need to figure out what they want, to have any chance to stop them. Thanks to Patty's information on my outfit, I now have a new way to look at their actions."

Anna looked over at Patty and gave her one of her rare smiles from her waking hours. Patty, on receiving her praise, just smiled, looked down, felt embarrassed. Upon hearing Anna start to chuckle, she could just make out Patty mumbling not to laugh at her. "Patty, I give credit where credit is due. You may have hit on something by recognising the type of clothes I'm wearing. Thank you. Anyway, I'll be back shortly."

As Anna headed for the doorway, she felt like she finally had a reason to smile. She was proud of Patty. A single thought summed up her feelings: 'Thank Odin for Patty. I'd be lost without her.'

Anna passed through the sitting room, flashing through the side doorways out of nervous habit. When nothing caught her eye, she continued into the library. With the lounge chairs in the central room, she used to think of it as a reading room. After Patty arrived and Anna sat on her lap all night, sitting room just felt more right. Sitting on Patty had been an odd feeling, but she was definitely a comfy cushion. Anna had fallen asleep on her lap while guarding her that first night. She could have killed Anna. Instead she let Anna drool on her shoulder until Anna woke up, and then just smiled at Anna woke up.

In the library, and was surprised to find two new books out. Usually it was only one at a time, and not even every day. As a matter of fact, most days she got nothing.

The first book was called 'Enchanters End Game'. It was the story of a ruthless sorcerer who underestimated the strength of a weaker brother. For the good of all, the brother betrayed, challenged, and defeated his evil older brother. For the life of her, she couldn't see how this applied to her imprisonment, except in the title only. This was a warning that trouble was coming. Unlike previous books, no moral was written in at the back of the book.

When Anna looked at the second book, she was even more confused. 'A Beginner's Guide To Chess' stared back at her. Again there was no moral in the book. 'I know the rules to chess, Elsa and I played all the time after her coronation. These must be some kind of warning from my mysterious letter writer. Are they telling me the rules have changed? Time to look at this differently. The rooms here are built like the squares on a chess board, at least the ones I can get to. Would that make us the pieces? That makes no sense... unless.'

Anna turned and raced from the library, through the sitting room and into the 'chess' room. Without even looking around, Anna races up tho the chess board. What she saw made her want to scream in fear and frustration. As usual, each of Anna's pieces are in jeopardy and she can't take any enemy pieces. Her eyes were focused on the only real change on the board. An enemy bishop had taken a piece on the board. Lucette's piece was laying on its side on the board with the bishop in her place.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: trying hard to get retribution completed in a timely manner. Want to get going on Part 3, but cannot get enough ambition while this one is incomplete. Just itching to take Anna in a new direction.

...

Anna turned and raced from the library, through the sitting room and into the 'chess' room. Without even looking around, Anna races up tho the chess board. What she saw made her want to scream in fear and frustration. As usual, each of Anna's pieces are in jeopardy and she can't take any enemy pieces. Her eyes were focused on the only real change on the board. An enemy bishop had taken a piece on the board. Lucette's piece was laying on its side on the board with the bishop in her place.

"No. NO! YOU CAN'T! LEAVE HER ALONE!" screamed Anna as she scrambled to leave the room. Racing back to the bedroom, Anna looks from face to face until she speed Lucette peeking out from behind Patty. Panic becomes relief as Anna races over to hug her.

"Thank the good you're alright. Everybody! I was given a hint as to the next method of attack. They aren't going after me next, it seems. They've picked one of you. I think some of you may have guessed who. Lucette, it is very important for you to stay as hidden as possible from now on. I want somebody with you at all times, and that person checks the toilet area before she goes in." Anna sounded sterner than she ever had before with her girls. Her stiffness compared to any other interactions more than conveyed her concern. Each of them could see her worry as well in the tears that once again fell from her eyes.

When Patty put a hand on Anna's shoulder, Anna stumbled sideways from Lucette in her shock. The same hand reached to steady her as she heard Patty's quiet "How?"

"The chess board in the other room. It has pieces to represent each of us. Lucette's piece has been captured and is laying on the board on its side. If they were trying to take her from me, the piece would have just disappeared. Laying down, still on the board, implies something a little more... final."

"Final?"

"They want to kill her. I'm going to stop them. I'm not sure how just yet, but I am. Lucette, I really need you to stay as close as you can and still be out of sight of the doorways. Lucette can only nod as she stands there crying. Anna hugs her, matching her tear for tear.

For the next several hours, Anna stands close guard over Lucette. When they sit in the same room, Anna sits back to back with her facing the doors. Lucette shrinks behind Anna, trembling. At the bathroom, Anna actually stands just inside the door with her back to Lucette for privacy sake. At meals, Anna still stands silent vigil over them all, barely eating if at all. Anna's concern over the targeting of a child, one of HER GIRLS, overriding her desire for food.

It was during one of their meals that she realized something. For the first time in hours, Anna crossed the room to Patty, and away from Lucette.

"Patty, is it my imagination or was this meal unexpected? I thought we already were given our daily meals. This would be the second extra one."

After pausing for a moment, she nodded. You're right. I was thinking there was an extra meal, likely due to Trish's arrival, but this the second extra one."

"I thought so. How long do you think the lights have been on for?"

"I'm not sure but they should be going out soon. Thanks for reminding me I'm tired," said Patty as she stifled a yawn.

"Patty, the lights are normally out over an hour ago. They are extending our day beyond the normal. If the goal is to exhaust me, they are succeeding admirably."

"Anna, the missed meals aren't helping either."

Anna shook her head. "I don't think I can keep anything down right now. I'm too tense. The food is bad enough to make a person sick, and the worry added on isn't helping. Give it to somebody who may be able to stomach it better."

"You're going to burn out if you don't eat and rest. I think we both know what this long day means. They will be coming soon. We already know they're coming for us, actually."

"For her, and it'll be over my dead body."

"It will be if you don't start taking care of yourself. If you fail, we are ALL dead. Anna, think this through!"

"You're right Patty. I-I don't know what I was thinking," responded Anna as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

After a moment's consideration, Patty's face was fixed with a determined expression. "Come with me. GIRLS! BATH TIME! Clothes stay dry, no dripping to give our locations away later when they come. We all go in at the same time, together, so we get done quicker. Get up Anna, we're going. Now, Anna! Right now!"

"I don't... Yes ma'am."

Anna followed the girls to the bathing room after grabbing a spare dagger, Patty leading the procession. As usual, Lucette stayed close to Anna. As soon as Anna finally entered, Patty spoke up again.

"Alright ladies, strip down and get washed off. Remember, no clothes in the water. That goes double for you Lucette. We don't want water trails leading the enemy to us. Anna, daggers can be dried quickly, but you're NOT taking both of them to the bath. It would be our luck that they would be washed away forever. Hurry up and get stripped down Anna!"

Anna placed one of her daggers near the edge of the pool and walked up to the clothing block across the room. She placed her second dagger on the block as she started working her way out of the form fitting outfit she wore. It always took a bit longer to remove it, but any looser and the folks of cloth might get in the way. She flinched when a second set of hand unexpectedly appeared to help her disrobe. Looking up, she saw Patty standing there without a stitch of clothing and nothing resembling modesty.

"Patty..."

"Oh hush. We're all girl's here. YOU definitely have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Patty!"

"Well, your outfit kinda shows off your body without really letting you see skin except on the arms and legs. Now hush."

With that, Patty reaches over to Anna's clothes again. Glowing beet red, Anna reaches to help but Patty pushes her hands away. On Anna's third attempt, Patty pushes the hands away and reprimanded the princess.

"Anna, you're the defender. You focus on sound of anybody approaching and be ready to defend. You focus only on that. I've had short jobs attending elderly matrons who needed help bathing, so I really do know what to do. I'll get you ready for your bath. Didn't you have servants help you in the castle?"

"Not since I was five. My sister had to help me about a year ago, when I want really feeling... myself. That only lasted a week or two. Things are a bit fuzzy when I think about my recovery last year."

"Well then, think of me as a long lost sister, or a distant cousin. Whatever makes this easier because it is going to happen. That said, leave ME to your clothes!"

"Patty..."

"Shhhhh," replied Patty quietly, putting a finger lightly on Anna's lips.

Anna stands there dying of embarrassment as Patty maneuvers her clothes enough to remove them. The fit was very snug on Anna. Due to watchers, and how cold the water was, Anna had been bathing in her outfit. With each bath, the clothes had tightened to fit her perfectly as they dried. It has made going to the bathroom more difficult, but she usually managed to push the outfit to the side enough to not make a mess. On the occasion things went wrong, well the pool was there.

This had caused an unforeseen complication for Patty. She had the unexpected experience of having to run her hands down the inside of Anna's clothes just to get them to move. "Did they sew this on to you while you stood and waited? How the hell did you get into this?"

"Let's just say it shrank to fit over time. But you n-need go-to be caref-ful with your hands. Apparent-tly, I'm still very ticklish." Patty just grinned mischievously at Anna's closed eyes and clenched teeth. Because she had her eyes clenched, she didn't see as Patty reaches down her shirt to work her breast out.

With a slight gasp, and something decidedly close to a moan, Anna stood very still. Her eyes almost build out as she looked at Patty, finally setting the mischief in her eyes. Casually, she reached over to pull out her other breast. A red faced Anna couldn't hold back a tremble as Patty's hand slip across her skin.

"P-Patty..."

"Shhhhh!" replied the younger girl. "This is as far as it goes. I don't think everybody got the same weapons search I did, and definitely not twice." Patty motioned to Anna's breasts with her chin. "You better be careful or you'll poke somebody's eye out with those." It was obvious the girl was enjoying Anna's discomfort.

"If you just wanted me here to..."

"Oh relax. Just a bit of mild play, revenge if you will for the two searches. Call out what you want, I'll call it done with that."

Folding the shirt down and tugging it down the outside, it caught at Anna's hips and wrists. Patty looked up at Anna's face as she frowned.

"How in the name of all that's holy did they get a fit this close. Shrinking can only do so much, this is ridiculous. Did they measure you before they put you down here?"

"I wasn't awake if they did. The fit did get tighter when I wore it to dry. It got form fitting in all the right places as it shrank. Makes it hard to get off though." Now it was Anna's turn to have a mischievous glint. "Just how comfortable are you playing with another girl's private parts?"

"Uh, Anna... I don't..."

"I didn't think so."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No, because I'd lose. I think I know you well enough to know that, especially after the last few minutes. Seriously, here are the options though. One, release my hand to let me help. Two, do it yourself as you originally requested but that will temporarily leave us defenceless. Three, cover me back up so I can guard us while you three bathe."

"You're going in," responded Patty adamantly.

"Then pick one of the first two. Just be quick."

Patty cast an appraising look at Anna and then the lanterns. Anna just stood there red faced, basically looking helpless, while the lanterns continued to burn brightly.

"Fine," said Patty as she walked right up to Anna with her hands behind her back. "Challenge accepted."

Patty carefully watched Anna's face and outright laughed as her response sunk in. She laughed harder at the surprise on Anna's face as she worked her hands down the outside of her hips to slide her clothes.

"P-Patty, while my hands are stuck, we're defenceless."

"Are they spying on us?" whispered Patty. To the others, it looked like Patty was trying to embarrass Anna further with her whispering.

"You know they are," whispered Anna in return.

"Do you really think male guards will leave to send the assassin while one of Anna's charges takes advantage of her? They are pigs, or they would have found a way to get the princess of Arendelle away from her captor. I've captured their eyes for the moment. Just play along as unwilling and I'd almost bet my life that nothing happens," Patty quietly murmured back in a sultry voice. "As a matter of fact, I'd bet the lanterns get brighter very shortly."

"You can't be serious!" replied Anna in a shocked voice. Patty was concerned until she saw Anna's half wink. "Don't take this to far. How did I get myself into this?" she whispered without moving her lips.

"Don't worry, I'll only run my hands over the surface. My five fingered army won't invade your shores... unless you ask me to. Think of it as a weapons check. Trust me, the last time I checked, I want attracted to women. By the way, check the lanterns," purred Patty into her ear.

Anna snapped her gaze to the lanterns. Just as Patty predicted, they were definitely brighter now. While Anna looked around with a cornered look on her face, Patty inched the sides lower before reaching around Anna's waist from the front, hands still inside the outfit and gently cupped her cheeks. Out of reflex, Anna arched forward before she could stop herself. When Anna took a half step back, Patty followed. Soon, Anna was backed up against the wall. Hooking her thumbs on the waist of the outfit, she inched it lower as well.

"Patty, please stop. I REALLY don't think we want to take this any farther?"

"And why is that?" asked Patty as she inched her hands back around to the front. Patty got her answer before Anna could say anything. "Why didn't you tell me you needed the bathroom?" laughed Patty.

This time it was Patty who looked startled when Anna looked at the ground and said "I didn't, and I don't. Patty, please. We need to stop, and soon."

"Okay," replied a subdued Patty as she pulled her hands free. She immediately helped Anna free her hands as well. "Will you.. Will you still come in the pool?" asked Patty uncertainly.

"Do you still want me to?" asked Anna.

"I wanted to give you a shoulder massage in the water to loosen up your muscles. While we were playing, I had the crazy idea to capture their eyes. I didn't realize the effect it would have on you."

"To be honest, neither did I."

"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know, and it didn't get to the point of complete embarrassment. We stopped while I was still on a high. A massage would be nice. You never did answer my question though. Do you still want me to come in the pool?"

Patty answered quietly without hesitation. "Yes."

Anna wiggled to slide her remaining clothes off her legs and feet. Walking over, she gave Patty a chaste hug before leading her to the water by one hand. Anna silently walked into the cold water and sat on the bottom so only her head was above water. Patty kneeled behind her and started kneading her shoulders and upper back.

"Patty?"

"Yes?" came the hesitant reply.

"Next time you want to capture their eyes, give me more warning. I was total unready for that surprise."

"Okay, but the genuine surprise on your face was priceless and I'm sure it held their attention."

"True." Anna couldn't help but giggle as she responded. "It was a good idea, though. I never considered taking advantage of male lust that way before."

Later, Anna finally came out of the pool to dry off. She felt much better after Patty's attention to her shoulders, but she wasn't ready to tell Patty that, at least not yet. Lucette had come out at the same time and was already dressed. Patty was still dressing while Trish splashed in the water. What caught Anna's ear was a boot sliding on the floor from near the library. She stood completely still for a second, totally naked, before she called out.

"Trish, I think you've been in the water long enough. That water is cold. You get sick and attackers will her you sniffling when you're trying to hide," called Anna. Her tone was light, but her expression spoke volumes. Looking to Patty, she mouthed "hide Lucette". Nodding, Patty started leading the younger girl towards the bedroom. That meant moving two rooms over. They paused when Anna stamped her foot. When they saw Anna pointing at the clothing block, they changed direction. Once again Anna called out.

"Playtime is over girls. Remember, we need to stick together, whatever comes." Anna's voice was still light and calm. She nodded at Patty as she spoke.

"But Anna, I really have to go," whined Patty.

"Wait until we are all ready. We stick together no matter what. You should have gone to the bathroom before the bath if you couldn't wait." Both girls kept their tone light, but had serious looks on their face. Their bodies showed the nervousness the felt, despite their calm tone.

"Trish, you better hurry, or Patty is going to pee herself!"

"Anna!" came Patty's voice.

"You said it was urgent. Gather your gear ladies," called Anna as she grabbed her second dagger. She didn't bother trying to get her outfit on, there wasn't time. To Patty, she mouthed "payback".

Any response from Patty was cut off by a twang from the library. As Anna's head snapped around to look at the doorway, she heard a meaty thunk and a pained gasp from behind her. Spinning around, Anna could see Lucette on her knees. It looked like she was hit by a crossbow bolt as she tried to move to their exit. Her left arm was still out to hold Patty's hand. The bolt had managed to hit her just below the shoulder blade, coming near the heart from the back. The fletching just sticking out from her back, the remainder of the bolt buried inside her body. Her dress became redder and redder as light vital fluids came putt around the bolt at an alarming rate. From the blood spray behind Lucette, the bolt tip must have passed ask the way through. Anna wasn't sure why the girl hadn't been pinned to the wall.

Anna started in shock until she heard crossbow arms click into place for another shot. "Oh no you don't!" snarls Anna as she races into the next room. She had to get to him before he could reload.

The archer looked up from his pull, one foot still on the arm of the bow from pulling it back, the next bolt still in his hand. With a startled look, he tossed the weapon to the side and reached for his dagger still at his belt. The weapon dry fired as it contacted the wall.

Diving at the offending man, Anna tackled and dragged him to the floor before he can get the weapon from the sheath. Anna, dressed as she wasn't, had her weapons already in hand. The archer didn't have enough arms in the face of Anna's enraged attack. Blow after blow landed, many not even bringing the blade to bear. In the end, ask she could remember was screaming her frustration at him as she got past his guard, "I PROMISED TO PROTECT THEM! I promised..." She didn't even remember planting the dagger in his chest.

Realizing the battle was over, Anna jumped up and ran back to the other room. As she entered, Trish looked up and screamed. Looking down, Anna was thickly coated in blood. Her arms were coated, and her chest heavily splattered by the dropping red mess. Even her crotch was stained with it where she sat on the archer to pummel him. Her sins had been in the ground in the pooling blood, and didn't look any better. Anna hadn't realized how heavily coated in blood she was.

"Trish. TRISH! It's not mine. Calm down! Patty, how is she?" demanded Anna on the verge of panic.

Patty just sat on the floor holding Lucette in a tight hug. Patty had her head down, so her hair prevented Anna from seeing Lucette's wounds. Everyone could tell Patty was crying uncontrollably, and Trish was stunned to the point of shock.

When Patty finally looked up, Lucette's head rolled back to face Anna and she almost feel to her knees. Dead eyes stared back at Anna. If almost felt like a physical blow when she realized Lucette's head was at exactly the same angle Hazel's was when she died. Despite Lucette already being dead, Anna clearly heard Hazel's final words repeated, just as they had the year before. Anna turned away and staggered back a step before a determined look settled on her face.

"She... she was just a little girl," stuttered Anna as she stumbled back to the library. She immediately made for the assassin and kicked the dead man in the ribs. "SHE WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL!" screamed Anna as she kicked him over and over. Eventually exhaustion and hunger takes its toll on the enraged woman. Stumbling after a final kick, she walked over to the crossbow. As she did a test pull on it, she realized the dry fire had cracked an arm, rendering the weapon both useless and unsafe. Throwing the damaged weapon, and staggered back to the assassin and cloaked to her knees next to him. With renewed conviction, she screamed "You bastard!" over and over as her fists pounded into his chest. When that became unsatisfying, she pounded the ground next to her until her own hands bled.

When arms hugged Anna from behind, she almost struck out before she realized it was Patty. "Anna, I'm so sorry. I-I thought they would wait. I thought we had time. I'm so, so sorry."

Almost striking at Patty cleared Anna's head faster than she would have thought possible. "It's not your fault, we knew it was coming. She was just a little girl. She should have been playing with dolls in the hay loft of her farm, not suffering down here."

"I never should have done that to you. If I hadn't, we never would have been delayed leaving the water. You would have been ready..."

"Patty!" said Anna loudly as she turned around. "Do you really think I would have that much trouble getting my arms free? I could have had them out almost instantly. I CHOSE to indulge myself to see how far you'd go. I was more than ready to have my hands free in less than a second before you ever accepted the challenge. I just needed some time where I didn't have to be in control, to not be making the decisions. I was selfish, and look what it cost us. You didn't kill her, I did. I wasn't prepared for a crossbow. I didn't think of it because every other attack required a physical blow to win. The thought of them using a bow never occurred to me. Don't you DARE blame yourself one bit for this. You had a really good idea, something I had never considered and... And I... I liked it, and I selfishly let myself lose control. I owe you as much of an apology as Lucette. She deserved to live. Protecting you girls was my job, not yours."

Patty was silent for a while before she spoke again. "I don't know if it means anything, but she didn't suffer long. She... she likely died quicker than I would have on the streets or she would have on her farm. Anna, you can't make me not feel responsible, no matter what you say, and I think the reverse is true as well. Can we agree to share the blame? You say you were selfish, well you weren't the only one. I got distracted by the fantasy of having a princess at my mercy. I hadn't realized how crude it had gotten, and then I didn't know how to stop when I did figure it out. I'm so sorry. Did - did you you really like it?"

Anna nodded as she looked at the ground and they were both silent for a while. Anna broke the silence first. "You brought feelings to the surface I haven't had in a long time. I knew I was needed, but I haven't truly felt wanted in a very long time. You've unwittingly shown me possibilities I hadn't even considered. Don't get me wrong, that is a good thing. Anyway, I'm being selfish again. I'm sure Trish is beyond panic right now in the other room..."

"I brought her here with me. She wasn't comfortable coming past the doorway, but she is here."

"And people say I'm the one with the caring heart. Here I am being selfish again, but you solved that problem before it even came up. I don't care if your from the streets, you are a gem. You're worth more than some of the lords I know."

Anna waved Trish over and waited for her to get close before continuing. "I hadn't considered them using bows and the like. My shortsightedness cost Lucette her life because I wasn't ready. We will be next time. I promise, the ONLY way they get close to you will be over my dead body. In trying to avoid that, we need to make some changes. For now, we are going to live out of the toilet area. We move the blankets into the corners behind the door. I'm going to get an unused crossbow bolt we can wedge between the door and the frame. We bring our food back to eat. Unless necessary, we stay in that room from now on. Wash in the sink, that's us and clothing. When I sleep, it will be in front of the door to prevent it from being opened."

"We should have a little time before anymore attacks," said Patty quietly. "Trish, you do a quick check for food. I'll get the blankets, and Anna's clothes. Anna you need to was before you touch anything. A quick dip in the bath area, and then dressed in the toilet area. Get your crossbow bolts and anything else you can think of before coming to get dressed. We'll all be locked in the room in less than five minutes. Is that alright?"

"Sounds good to me. If I have my way, NOBODY ELSE DIES!" Anna literally growled the last words before nodding to the others to get them going.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: life being a pain, but I've got just enough ahead to keep posting regularly now. I'm not going to let loyal readers down. On with our story. Once I post it, it's not just mine anymore.

...

Elsa had given up on using a tent for her quarters. She had already wrecked two. Causing a room above a tavern to freeze was one thing, but freezing a tent was a whole different matter. When a tent got cold enough, it became brittle, even a leather hide tent. Elsa's pacing tended to make things very cold. The door had snapped off her first tent when somebody had tried to open it. The second tent had collapsed in under a light snowfall, because of how cold it got inside. Half the time, she had to take reports outside her quarters until she stopped using tents altogether.

Instead she now used a dome of ice with a small entry. The camp crew were VERY appreciative of not having to set up, replace or repair her tent on a daily basis, if not hourly. Elsa just 'waved her hand' and it was done. Teardown was just as fast. A solid ice door could ensure her privacy, and a wave of her hand could easily let people in or out. Thanks to her privacy and then not having to repair her tent all the time, others had trouble telling how nervous she was becoming. The captain really wished he wasn't aware of how nervous she was, but he was still the one she called for updates. He wasn't sure if it was out of habit that she called him, or to make sure he wasn't drinking again. She certainly didn't leave any time for him to drink.

"We should have found it by now. She said Anna was in this area," complained the queen quietly. Opening the dome enough to allow access, the queen addressed one of the guards outside. "Please bring the captain to my quarters."

Elsa left the dome open enough to allow access while she waited. Because the door was open, a conversation outside was able to reach her ears.

"... If the captain keeps coming to see the queen in her private quarters, somebody's going to think he's sweet on her."

"And I tell you again, the Queen's only soft spot is for her sister. Otherwise her heart is as cold as winter. I don't think she's into men at all. When her sister is in easy reach, maybe she's keeping it all in the family. That is, if you know what I mean..."

Elsa had heard enough, and she really hoped nobody else was privy to that conversation. Was that what her guards thought of her? No, the one in the castle defended her so it must be just the soldiers outside the capital. With a stern face, she walked out to confront the soldiers.

"You gentlemen do realize that others overhearing you, as I did, may not realize that you are only joking. Lucky for you, I did, or at least assuming so. As you should already know, my sister is in love with an ice hauler, with my blessing. I haven't met the right person yet, and like my sister, I'm not overly concerned about their rank or occupation. For those that don't know what an occupation is, that's a person's JOB. As for the captain, while he is nice enough and puts up with me, he is most definitely not my type. I think his wife would agree, and I have no plans on becoming anybody's mistress. Now, I believe we are short of latrines on the north side of camp. I'd like to thank you gentlemen for volunteering to fix this. In case you weren't sure, you need to dig a hole in the ground and put a shelter up around it for privacy. I'm sure you can manage that."

"Yes, your majesty" agree the soldiers in unison before forming and marching north.

"I think we may need several latrines, your majesty. I'll be sure to keep them busy. That should keep them from most of the gossiping," came a voice from behind the queen. Turning, Elsa saw the captain standing there. "I hope the ground won't be too frozen for them, don't you agree?" Elsa just smiled in response.

"Your majesty, may I also suggest a clear door while we are meeting. It should be enough to maintain privacy for discussions without generating rumors."

"An excellent idea, thank you. You probably already guessed, but I was calling you for an update. Considering the hour, maybe we should also recall the search parties for the night," suggested Elsa as they entered her quarters. A clear door formed almost immediately after.

"You made that suggestion when you requested your last update. Most of the men have returned already, but there are no new leads yet."

"You... Will advise me the second we find anything, fearless of the hour, meetings, or how small the details are?" asked Elsa uncertainty.

"As per your standing order, your majesty."

"Yes, well... you're sure there's nothing new yet?"

"Nothing your majesty. Only one group has not returned. They are only an hour overdue, and delays are not unusual in a search like this."

"Please, show me where." Elsa spread her maps if the area on the table as the captain stepped up. It didn't take long for the captain to locate a spot on the map and tap it. Elsa almost cheered when she saw him pointing at almost the same spot the girl had pointed to.

"Captain, mount up. I'm not leaving men in the field in these circumstances. Besides, I have a feeling about that area."

Two hours later saw Elsa riding northwest from camp with several guards, search parties fanned out in the trees, and one very grumpy captain.

"Queen Elsa, I really must protest you being on the front line like this. It is not safe and I can't guarantee your safety."

"Captain, you are doing an admirable job under trying circumstances. However, you must understand my concern for my sister's safety. It is more than likely I will be exceedingly trying to those around me until she is safely in our care."

"My queen, we've been out here for a while now and this is the second search of this area with nothing to show for it. The light is all but gone. Much longer and I'm going to insist we all escort you back to camp for your safety. Demote me again if you must, but I will not be held responsible for our last remaining loadable royalty being injured. I also refuse to abandon you in an unsafe place to the wolves or briggands!"

"Captain, why are we out here?" asked Elsa calmly.

"We're looking for the princess, your majesty," responded the captain, looking confused.

"Actually, no. Not this time. We are looking for missing men who should have returned hours ago. My presence should have little effect on that search. Also, the decision for me to accompany the search is beyond your control. As I said, you ARE doing your best and I can see that. If you get through this with your rank intact, you'll get my personal consideration for promotion due to your displayed loyalty. I understand what you're saying and I appreciate it, but while my sister is missing standing still is something I cannot..."

"OVER HERE!" interrupts a call from the woods.

"My queen!" called the captain as Elsa wheeled her horse and rode towards the voice. "Let the... DAMN IT!" she heard him curse as he moved to follow.

"Milady, forgive me, but you are going to get yourself killed if you don't let your guards advance first!" shouted the captain in frustration as he caught up.

"You're absolutely right captain. Maybe your guards should try to... keep... up." Elsa's voice trailed off as she was finally able to look past the soldier who raised the alarm.

"Your majesty, again forgive me for saying do, but unless you start to listen you're going to get shot again like last year. If you don't stop acting like a spoiled child who desperately needs a spanking, you're going to have to find yourself a new captain to lead your... troops." The captain's voice also trailed off as he saw the reason for the alarm.

On the ground in the wooded area not far from the road was one of the missing soldiers. His dead eyes gazed at the canopy of the trees. From what they could see, he had been hit three times by arrows, twice in the back and once on the back of a leg. He had been thrown by his horse as it had fallen, its hind quarter peppered with arrows. All arrows came at the rider from behind so it appeared he was on the run from something. When the horse fell, its neck had been broken.

Taking the rider's path through the trees was not difficult. His mad dash through the wooded area had left many hoof prints and broken branches. It wasn't far before they found the for remaining searchers. The bodies of the horses and their riders were clustered together near the center of a small clearing.

Everybody was silent, their expressions troubled as they surveyed the scene. Everyone jumped when the captain's voice cut through the tension like a knife.

"Search the surrounding trees for archers. Remember to watch treetops as well as ground level. I don't see any footprints into the clearing except theirs, so the enemy never came close to our men. Several never saw the attack coming, as their weapons are still sheathed. Nobody enters the clearing until the telling is secure. NOBODY, right your majesty?"

"As you wish," was Elsa's contrite reply. The captain looked at her for a moment before just nodding.

"We have to assume they know we are coming, and now they know we have arrived. These men got too close to something which may or may not be related to our search. If I wanted to delay a search, I'd ambush searchers away from the princess so they would waste time searching the wrong area. If this is the wrong area, it is a delay tactic and she princess shouldn't be in any more danger than she already was. If this is the right area, then we have very limited time to find them before the princess comes to harm. Your majesty, I recommend a thorough search of this area before moving on."

"I agree. Send a group of five riders back to the camp. Rouse searchers and double time it back here. We may be able to finish this tonight. I wasn't the search well underway before those men arrive. Time may be short, as you say."

"Now? The morning would have better light and less chance of missing something important."

"Now. We cannot afford to delay and allow more time for them to slink away in the dark. Focus the search on buildings, barns, sheds, homes and cellars. Look for anything out of place like excessive lighting, sentries, travellers with odd loads, even odd colored lighting could be used as signals. Use your instincts. If in doubt, report back for help, then investigate further. We don't want to repeat this ambush. Now move!"

...

As soon as Anna had reached the toilet area, she had dressed immediately. Then the children and Anna set up the sleeping area in the corner behind the door in total silence, each one wrapped up in their thoughts. For everyone, this had suddenly become even more real. Up to now, Anna had managed to keep everyone alive. The remaining children were not aware that Anna's previous assassins were Arendelle citizens forced to attack an unknown foe in the dark. She wasn't about to tell them either. Now the other side was getting serious. For the children, Lucette had been a friend and ally, and the occasional playmate. Patty was hit hardest because she had taken Lucette under her wing to help her survive. She blamed herself for distracting Anna with a plan that wasn't as successful as she had hoped. Only Patty had an inkling of how Anna felt.

Anna was little better. This was her first real casualty. She had promised to protect them and let Lucette down. Now she had promised it again in the heat of the moment, and had serious doubts about her ability to follow through. She had gotten very little from the bowman to help protect everybody. The bow was damaged, his weapon was a rusty dagger, and only two crossbow bolts remained. Nobody could bring themselves to remove the bolt from Lucette, especially when she had no working bow. With the bow and dagger being useless to Anna, she had just dropped them next to the bowman. As usual, it wasn't long until the bodies were removed along with any excess gear. When they had collected what they could from the sleeping area, they had found that Anna's spare daggers had also been taken. Only the two Anna carried to the bath earlier had remained available.

Time passed slowly and in silence. Between sadness, fear, and a bit of melancholy, nobody felt up to talking. Eventually the lights began to fade. A clatter from outside their only sanctuary drew their attention.

"Girls, stay here. I'm going to check that nose out," said Anna as she handed a crossbow bolt to Patty. "Wedge the door with this after I go out, until I return. It will act like a weak lock, and force them to make noise to get through. They'll attract my attention if I'm not her, allowing me to come back and deal with them. Only open the door for me."

Patty's only response was a nod as she started down at the bolt in her hand.

"Cheer up Patty. The odds were always heavily against me keeping everybody alive. The burden of that is mine, not yours. You need to focus on getting through this. Understand?"

"Okay," responded Patty with a weak smile.

"Hey, we need each other. I'll make you a deal. If you keep me same in this hole in the ground, I'll try to do the same for you," said Anna with a weak smile of her own. The next thing she knew, Patty had grabbed Anna around the waist and was sobbing into her shoulder.

"Hey, hey. It's all right. Hey, normally I'd bring you both in for a group hug right now, but I need to check that noise. It could be something dangerous," said Anna softly. "Lock the door behind me and I promise I'll be back as quick as I can. Remember, make sure you know it's me before you open the door."

Separating from Patty was one of the most heartbreaking things she could do, after Patty's outburst. It was hitting home just how much Patty liked and trusted her. It was all she could do to not let her down. She may have been smiling on the outside, but all she wanted to do was crawl into the corner and ignore the world. She couldn't do that, not with how much Patty needed her. She lingered with a hand on Patty's shoulder and a smile, before she turned and walked out the door. Anna stood outside the door with her daggers ready in her hands until she heard Patty block the door. Taking a deep breathe, Anna started walking.

Anna did her best to keep the toilet room door in sight as she went. That meant going from the toilets, to the foyer, to the sitting room and finally the chess room, until she found something. The side rooms appeared to be empty as she passed, and the source of the noise was in the chess room, of course.

Off to the side, near the solid door she couldn't open, was a lightweight crossbow and a small bolt case. Anna approached carefully, fully expecting it to be a trap. Every nerve in her body screamed at her that this was all wrong. When nothing happened before she reached the unloaded crossbow, she carefully picked it up. The weapon appeared to be in reasonable condition, as far as she could tell. In the slot for the bolt was another note in a familiar flowing script.

'They figured out I've been helping the queen find you and will be coming for me. As I am fleeing, this will be my last letter. Trust no letters after this, as Moby else is willing to take over. They will be coming for you and the girls. I don't know if they intend to move or kill you, but I do know they intend to kill the girls. The ones coming for you have powerfully poisoned weapons. I managed to get this bow and two poisoned bolts. They may try using imposters to get to you. Elsa is near, but hasn't found the entrance to your prison yet. You need to hold out until she finds you. I won't be able to meet with Elsa to show her the way. Good luck and May the gods smile upon you.'

Anna opened the bolt case and confirmed two bolts were inside. She added her slightly lighter unpoisoned bolt to the case on the opposite end. Closing the case, she collected the bow and the note. With a solemn face, she headed back to the girls.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: weekend from hell, but the chapter is ready. On with our story.

...

Anna opened the bolt case and confirmed two bolts were inside. She added her slightly lighter unpoisoned bolt to the case on the opposite end. Closing the case, she collected the bow and the note. With a solemn face, she headed back to the girls.

When Anna banned on the toilet room door, there was no response. Worried, Anna banned again.

"Patty, Trish! Are you okay?"

"One minute!" After a moment, the door unlocked and opened. Anna's face went from concern to relief as soon as she saw both girls were fine, a fact not lost on Patty. "You said not to open it unless it was you. We figured it would be best to pretend we weren't here until you let us know it was you out there."

"A very good idea girls. I knew I could count on you. With the door jammed from the inside, they would know somebody was there but not who or how ready they were to stop them. This crossbow was what we heard. Somebody working for our captor wasn't happy with us being kidnapped. They have been passing me messages, they said they were trying to reach the queen on my behalf. The message that came with the bow said they had been identified and were going to escape. They got this to me before leaving."

"I assume they don't know how much my sister knows, but she hasn't found us yet. Apparently she is already searching the areas nearby. This causes us a problem. They will be wanting to leave this area before they are found out. In my case, They will want to move me, or at worst kill me to cut their losses. According to the note, I'm the only one they would move, so that means they would try to kill you two. Two of the bolts in the case are coated with the same poison that will be on their weapons."

"I'll tell you this now, the Only way they kill you is over my dead body. It may mean we all die, but I intend to survive this and take both of you with me."

At this point Anna took the bolt from Patty and locked the door. Returning close to the girls, she continued in hushed tones. "We don't open this for unless we absolutely have to. I'll go to get food from the dining area and bring it here, while they still provide it. Stay together if I'm not here. The door must stay locked. And don't open it for anybody but me. If I'm not alone, don't open the door at all. If you ask me a question like 'are you alone?' and I answer starting with 'of course', then I'm lying for some reason. I'll be sleeping with my back against the door so nobody can sneak in. You two keep sleeping in that corner so they have to walk around the door to even see you. Your safety is more important than mine as they may was to take me alive. The same is not true in your case. We will work together as a team."

Anna returned her voice to a normal volume as she continued. "I recommend trying to get some sleep. I know it won't be easy, but we may not get much chance to sleep later. Take it whenever you can."

Anna set up with one blanket in front of the door, while the two smaller girls shared the other one in the corner. They all settled in without a word. Anna laid there staring at the ceiling for several minutes, and was amazed when she heard quiet snoring so soon. Oh how she wished she could sleep that easy down here. She knew it would be impossible for herself, knowing all their lives depended on her in particular.

"Anna, are you awake?" came a whisper just louder than the snoring.

"Why aren't you sleeping? Asked Anna as she tried to figure out which girl she was talking to. She got the obvious answer.

"I'm scared."

"Me too, but I'm more worried for you two than scared for myself."

"Can... can I sleep with you? Trish is using all the blanket."

"Sure, come on over Patty."

Anna knew the blanket was an excuse. She could hear as Patty carefully crawled out from under it. 'It's not fair a little girl should be frightened so much or that I should expect so much from her. She always seemed so adult and confident. How can I say no?' thought Anna guiltily. "She kept me going more than once.'

Backing right up to the door, Ana cleared as much blanket as she could. Patty quickly snuggled right up to Anna with her back to the older girl. Anna didn't think Patty realized she had Anna pinned to the wall. Funny thing was that she really didn't mind either. Anna could hear Patty's contented sigh as Anna draped her arm over her to hold her in close. She couldn't help smiling with a contented sigh of her own. She never got the chance to do this with Elsa growing up, after their accident anyway. For the last year, Kristoff was either scared or stiff whenever she got too close. Anna had no idea just being this close to somebody could be this comforting, and she realized she really missed it. Even when Elsa stayed with her after the attempt by the brotherhood, Anna had been too distraught to appreciate it properly. Before either of them realized it, they were both fast asleep.

...

Despite her captain's concerns, Elsa could not keep herself from joining the front line for long. She knew she was the only one with the information from the peasant girl. When she saw the red lantern cover on the farmhouse porch, she raced in just after the guards. The captain followed her, complaining loudly and swearing under his breath.

Both Elsa and the captain speed up when they heard weapons colliding around the corner. When the leading guards came into view, one was bleeding from his arm, the other had just ran the last farmer through. Two farmers were dead on the ground already and the final one shortly joined them. Shiny new weapons were lying on the ground near each farmer.

"You, go get that wound checked immediately. You, what happened here?" asked Elsa in an authoritative tone.

"Milady, we came around the corner just in time to see these men lagging a body into the wagon. As soon as they realized we were here, they immediately attacked. No matter how injured, these men kept fighting to the last."

"We needed a prisoner. We need information on where and how Anna is being held."

Elsa walked to the wagon to look at the body inside. As she peered in, she almost fell down in shock. Two bodies were present. One was an adult with a sack over her head. , but it was the other body that gave Elsa a sick feeling. The second body would have been an exact duplicate of herself from about twelve years before. The sick feeling was from seeing the crossbow bolt in the chest, and the dead eyes staring directly back at her. There was a small trail of dried blood coming from the corner of her mouth and down to her ear. The trail disappeared into her hair.

Elsa deliberately focused on the adult to avoid being sick. Elsa noticed a definite shake to her hands as she reached for the bag the was loosely tied over her head. 'Please don't be Anna.' Before she could get the hood off, she noticed the regular rise and fall of the girl's breathing. Taking the hood off revealed a familiar face, covered in some kind of paste, likely from the sack. She was relieved that it wasn't Anna, instead she saw the face of her informant from the inn. It was the same girl who pointed this place out on her map.

"I want a thorough search of every building on this farm. I recognise this girl as the one who tried to pass information to us and got caught. I want her taken into protective custody and seen by my physicians. Treat her as a guest, NOT a prisoner. Don't let her leave if she wakes. I have my reasons and that's all anybody needs to know. Gentlemen, I think we are here."

Elsa wasted no time as she headed straight to the barn, the captain once again protesting as he followed her. She didn't pause as she walked in, heading straight for the second stall on the right. Looking at the stall, she saw nothing to indicate anything out of the ordinary. There were several boxes lining the back of the stall, with straw scattered on the ground.

"Why would they spread straw in a stall used for storage? It would encourage mice."

While using a stall for storage was not unheard of, they were normally lifted off the ground on logs and not covered in straw. These were right on the ground.

Frowning, Elsa stood at the opening. "Stay back" she warned. A second later, a multitude of ice spikes formed and showered the floor right to each corner. Most shattered, but there was a square area where they just passed through without breaking. "She's here, under the floor," Elsa whispered triumphantly. "Captain, there is a way underground here. I need it opened. And I'm sorry, but enough nattering about me being on the front line. That girl in the wagon had given me some information I couldn't share until we located this farm. I had to be sure."

"Did she say anything about what was below?"

"Just the farm's location, the red lantern out front and this stall. From here, I have no idea."

Several minutes passed while Elsa waited for the guards to release the trap door. It wasn't long before Elsa started pacing. As Elsa became more and more on edge, the guards got exceedingly nervous about their failure. The door appeared to have latched when it closed and they couldn't find the release. Eventually, Elsa had enough of the guard's vain attempts at trying to open the door.

"Gentlemen, stand back and cover your heads. WAY back."

As soon as everyone was clear, Elsa concentrated on the trap door. In moments, it was covered in frost. Cracking noises and the sound of buckling wood caused the door to bulge up until the door itself exploded into the air. All that landed were frozen splinters of wood and tiny bits of icy metal. While the guards stare in awe, Elsa descends into an underground tunnel, the captain stumbling after her.

Walking silently down the tunnel, Elsa is followed by the captain and one guard. The remainder of the guards were a little too in awe of the queen to be brave enough to follow. After about fifty feet, the tunnel turned sharply to the right, always angling slightly downhill. Listening, the only sound heard was the three sets of quiet feet working their way down the hall.

"My queen, a moment please. It's strange that we've only encountered the three guards outside. Even the farmhouse was bare. I can only see a few possibilities. The most likely is that we missed them, and next most likely is a trap up ahead. Either way, I advise caution."

"We have to press on, regardless of their actions. If they are ahead, then we have to save Anna. If they are gone, then this is the ONLY place we have to help figure out where they went. You are most definitely right that this was too easy." Without another word, Elsa started walking into the new long straight corridor, watching for trouble as best she could.

After another fifty feet, the hallway opened into a large room with six stone pillars spaced evenly around the room, three down the length and two across. One pillar at the far end looks like it was replaced with timbers to support the roof. The stone pillar only went half way up before ending on a jagged break. In the floor are ten pulleys set up to lift stone blocks from the floor. The doors are locked down so they cannot be opened from the other side. The ropes that normally run through the pulleys look like they were hastily cut out. Bits of rope were still on the floor, but none were more than an inch long. There was no moving the blocks without the pulleys.

"Leave them for now, and we will hoist them out later to check them. Nothing will come up through those," whispered Elsa.

At the far end of the room is a short staircase. As Elsa moves to go down the stairs, the captain steps in her way.

"Elsa - My queen. Please remember, this is too easy. The staircase would be an ideal place for an ambush, and it would be very hard to retrieve you if you couldn't get out yourself. Please, have a care. We don't have enough soldiers down here if we are attacked."

Elsa nodded and stepped near the top of the stairs. Raising one hand, she created an ice wall the width of the stairs, completely smooth and transparent. As Elsa moved forward, it remained two steps ahead of her, lightly scraping the walls. At the bottom, the wall expanded into the hallway and stopped a couple feet in. In the hall was a small stack of books, and some mouldy food. At the end of the hall was an empty stone room. Two reinforced doors allowed them to continue, one across from her entry and one on the wall to her right. Each door was approximately centered on its respective wall.

"Milady, you have amazing powers at your disposal but I recommend some discretion in their use. It clearly announces your location to others who may be watching. Except in defence, avoiding their use may be prudent. Anybody watching our movements to get here would have seen you regularly stepping to the front of any likely leads. They would likely be looking for you, expecting the same actions here." The captain was extremely relieved to see her nod.

"Of course, captain. That is a very good point, and you're absolutely right," responded Elsa as she dispelled her wall.

Examining both the doors showed the same peculiarities as the floor blocks in the room above. Locks on this side were designed to block anybody on the other side from opening it. Even if you burned the wood out of the door, the reinforcing would prevent moving to the other side, or unlocking it. From this side, the locks were easy to release. Deciding to follow the door straight across from their entry, she motioned for the lone soldier to open the door. On opening the door, he lost his grip and it immediately swung closed with a loud thunk. The door immediately locked itself after shutting.

"Sorry captain, milady. I wasn't expecting the door to want to close on its own and it got away."

Elsa interrupted the captain before he could scold the guard. "Yes, well, done is done. At least we now know to prop the door open. You will remain on this side of the door in case it should close again by accident. Avoid further noises, as you just announced us to Anna's captors if they are still here."

The guard nodded as he reopened the door more carefully. "Yes, my queen."

The captain took a torch from a wall bracket before walking to the door. "At least those three we already dispatched hadn't put out the lighting yet." Elsa just nodded. The captain and Elsa carefully stepped through the door into the next room, where darkness had reigned except for their torch.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N:Sorry for the long delays. Just finished my Apprenticeship exams as an insulator, and am now a Canadian Red Seal Journeyman (AKA I passed). Between studying, helping classmates, and home drama from that hot place down under (and i don't mean Australia or Africa). I'll get this completed in 26 chapters, with a additional note at the end for where I got my inspiration from (a song from another animated movie). On with our story!

...

Anna lifted her head where it sat on cold stone. A door closing in the distance still echoed beyond the door she leaned on. She immediately snapped her head up, completely alert, looking for Patty and Trish. The two girls were sitting in their corner starting back at Anna. The noise had apparently interrupted a quiet conversation between the two. The room was in half light, with lanterns just about ready to go out.

Anna quietly made her way over to the girls. "I'm going to check out that noise before the lights go out. If they're coming, I may be able to see what we are up against before they attack. I'd like to be ready. I don't expect anybody else to be joining us, so that noise was not likely a good thing. Patty, lock the door after I go and don't open it for anybody but me. Remember what I'll say if I'm going to lie to you."

"Of course we'll remember!" said Patty with only a slight emphasis on the first two words. Anna chose to ignore the implied lie from Patty's response.

"Good girl! Lock the door right away after I go through." Anna readied her crossbow with a poisoned bolt and pulled the bolt from the door. It was becoming damaged already and wouldn't be good to shoot anymore. Sighing, she passed it to Patty. Anna glanced into the next room before slipping through the door.

"Be careful," whispered Patty, worry showing in more than her voice. Anna flashed her a weak smile before she closed the door.

Surveying her surroundings, most rooms appears to already have no light. The bath room was dark as the inside of a boot, as was the bedroom. There was some light in the chess room at the end of the hall, but it didn't look right. Some of that light spilled into the sitting room, but not much. She could see the lantern there was very low, and very close to going out. Watching the chess room eventually gave her the idea it was torch light because of the way it flickered.

Moving as silently as she could, she shifted into the sitting room. Both the library to her left and the dining area to her right were completely dark. By staying back from the door and moving inside the sitting room, she was able to discern only two people. There were two people looking at a chess board. One was a guard holding a torch, no sign of rank was visible. He would be the big threat. The other caused Anna to pause briefly. It looked like Elsa. Again. The door to the right in the chess room was still closed, but the left one was propped open with a book.

Taking cover by the loungers in the center of the room, Anna got ready. 'Not again. You fooled me before, but not this time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The letter said Elsa hadn't found us yet. Anyways, I'll have to remove her first. If I have to face her head on, I may hesitate. Actually, I know I'll hesitate. Hesitating would kill me, followed shortly after by Patty and Trish. NOBODY ELSE DIES, I promised!' thought Anna angrily.

Raising her crossbow, she made sure her bolt was still in place. Taking a deep, slow breath, she took aim with slightly shaking hands. 'Get a grip Anna! For Patty!' Anna knew she would have to move quick after shooting so she paused to make sure she was ready and steadied her hands. She took aim at the woman's back again. She and the guard were quietly talking, still looking at the chess board. Even though this would be her best chance, she still hesitated several second before she could bring herself to pull the trigger. Not waiting to see if she connected, she moved towards the dining room. She only managed to move two steps before she heard the meaty thunk and cringed in guilt. A quick glance told her she could still see the woman. She had been driven forward onto the chess board and was crumpling to the floor. Once the door frame was in the way, she sprinted on bare feet into the dining room. Behind her, she could hear the guard, "NO! Get more guards!". It wasn't hard to tell he was drawing his sword, the steely hiss was a dead giveaway.

Slipping around to the side of the door, she pulled out her other poisoned bolt. She could hear the guard enter the sitting area. Anna carefully pulled the bow back to the ready position as quietly as possible.

'Snick'

'SHIT!' thought Anna as she grabbed the bolt. She could hear the guard walking to the door, her door. Racing to load the bolt, her heart felt like it was trying to hammer out of her chest. 'Just another second... DONE!'

Anna raised the bow triumphantly, aiming it at the doorway. 'This guy is an idiot! He's announcing where he is with the stupid torch he's still carrying.' As the guard was just about to go through the door, she realized she was holding her breath. Quietly, she let it out. 'Any second now,' thought Anna.

The top of a sword slowly worked its way into the room shortly followed by an arm. As soon as she saw a head clear the door frame, she pulled the trigger. Once again, she was rewarded with a meaty thunk as the bolt buried itself in his left ear right up to the fletching. She could see his head snap sideways and his torch went flying. Obviously, he was dead before he hit the floor.

Once again, Anna raced to ready and load her crossbow with her only remaining bolt, the plain one. She didn't know if anyone has heard the guard and didn't want to take the chance. Working her way back to the chess room, Anna didn't see anybody new. As she looked into the chess room, she saw the woman sitting on the floor next to the chess board. She still had her back to the door and chess pieces littered the floor. Blood was staining her dress down her right shoulder. She was attempting to reach over her shoulder with her left arm to reach the wound.

"Get up!" demanded Anna. When she didn't move right away, Anna added "Now!"

Slowly the woman began to rise. A fresh wave of blood ran down her shoulder because of her movement. The blood was easily reaching down to her waist. Anna struggled to remain patient as she struggled to stand. As she staggered to her feet, Anna demanded for her to turn around.

"Anna?" Said the woman as the younger woman came into sight. She looked right down the top of the crossbow into Anna's face, her eyes struggling to focus and her face a mask of pain. As Anna approached with her crossbow raised, she saw the frost around the woman's feet.

"Elsa? It can't be!" whispered Anna in disbelief, carefully walking up. Elsa removed all doubt when she reached up to her wound and, with a pained expression, froze the wound over. Ice covered her whole shoulder, immobilizing the bolt on the process. The bleeding was effectively stopped, although you could see where it wanted to try and get out. Anna had heard about her doing the same thing after she was shot before. "No," she whispered in horror at what she had done.

Anna almost threw her bow away, but it was loaded and the assassin's bow had fired as it broke. His was empty, this one wasn't. Now all she wanted to do was curl up in the corner. Stepping away from the bow, she inched toward her sister. Elsa was very wobbly on her feet. Anna's eyes looked back to the wound and locked in on the bolt. THE POISON! "Please no, not you. No... I... You... How? Elsa, please tell me this is another trick, that this isn't really you!" begged Anna.

Elsa looked up to Anna's face and she could see them become more unfocused by the second. "Anna... Why? Why would you try to kill me? I... I love..." asked Elsa, half slurring her words. She would have continued, but she lost her balance. Anna rushed forward to catch her as she stumbled to her knees. Gently, Anna laid her sister on the floor. Tears mingled with the blood on Anna's hands, Elsa's blood. Blood she had thoughtlessly spilt without checking it's she was real or not. She knew her actions had a habit of killing people she cared about, but she never thought she could actually get to Elsa. She would die before deliberately killing Elsa. Maybe a part of her did die, she wasn't sure. All she could focus on was the blood on her hands, and that it was her fault. Anna was so self absorbed and in shock, she didn't hear our care about the door that opened behind her. Her self loathing was interrupted by a make voice.

"You, go ready our horses. You've done well keeping me informed on queen Elsa. Dispose of that uniform as quickly as you can. Well, well Anna. Your training went far better than expected. You followed our directions beyond our wildest expectations for the time we had. We knew that with the right prompting, you would be just about the only person who could remove the monster of Arendelle from the throne. Well done."

Turning her head, she could see a worn out looking man gloating at her. She knew this man, though he appeared to be a shadow of his former self. The last she saw of him was just after Elsa's coronation debacle. Smiling, the duke of Weselton stood by the door to the right of the chess board. An Arendelle guard was just walking through the door, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: my last attempt to post failed, but hadn't realized. With working 70 hr workweeks with only one day off at a labor intensive job, having energy is a lost cause.

If anyone is still interested in my musical motivation, it comes from the soundtrack for the animated movie "spirit: stallion of the Cimarron" and is called "sound the bugle". Look at the lyrics of you don't like sad slow songs. The first couple verses are about lots and hopelessness. The third and final verse is about finding the courage to continue. This would be similar to what I'm attempting with my story. Just a teaser, Anna will be renouncing her place in the royal family. As I'm still writing the outline, she may or may not get it back. I won't say any more on that until I actually get something posted for my third installment.

...

Turning her head, she could see a worn out looking man gloating at her. She knew this man, though whe appeared to be a shadow of his former self. The last she saw of him was just after Elsa's coronation debacle. Smiling, the duke of Weselton stood by the door to the right of the chess board. An Arendelle guard was just walking through the door, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.

"What? You did this? Why?" asked Anna through teary eyes. Looking more closely, the duke's toupee was gone, and his clothes were none too clean.

"Why you ask? You brought this on yourselves. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be hiding here like a criminal. When you sent me back, and placed your embargo on us, other countries decided to follow your lead. They don't understand how dangerous you and your sister were, but I knew. You may have fooled them, but I knew Elsa was a monster and Arendelle's royal bloodlines were tainted."

"Unfortunately, the combined embargoes caused by Arendelle were fatal to Weselton's economy. We don't have enough of any one resource to survive on our own, but our central placement has made us a very desirable trade hub. Without trade, we were lost. Once our reserves were gone, the peasants started to starve, and revolted against their betters. While bloodlines were butchered and I barely escaped with my own life. After all you cost me, I came here to repay the debt I owed. The southern isles, vultures that they are, swooped in to annex Weselton into a new province. There was no fighting them. With Weselton no longer a country of its own, many countries finally lifted their embargoes. Only Arendelle still maintained its embargo."

"You know, you and Elsa really are very predictable. Your training was actually the easy part. Elsa being at the head of your rescue party was unavoidable in any event. After all she was here to save her beloved sister."

"By the way, do you know how strict the laws are regarding the assassination or attempted assassination of the reigning monarch actually are? I do thank you for removing the monster of Arendelle from the throne, so I will return the favor by letting you escape with your life. Killing a monarch in Arendelle is treason and immediately punishable, regardless of the reason, without the need for trial. You can thank your parents for the stories of the law, because of a failed attempt on your father. A brief questioning to determine who was involved, and then a quick execution. The poison on the bolt was very potent. If quickly renders a person unconscious, and then it is almost already fatal. It is more merciful that Elsa deserved. In your case, it means you not only killed your sister, you are also guilty of treason. You cannot send to the throne, not can your offspring."

Anna just stared at the duke with ever growing horror as he continued to speak. Her tears fell freely to mingle with Elsa's blood on the floor. The dukes malicious chuckle brought Anna's attention back to his speech.

"It is amazing how well you took to your training to kill the queen. I just dictated the environment and the timing of your meeting and you did the rest. I didn't even have to ask you to do it. You decided all on your own. That incident with the brotherhood last year was very telling on how to control your reactions. We broke your spirit and then gave you something to keep it from shattering completely. Those innocent young girls gripped your heart like few others could. You kept crawling back for more well past your normal break point."

"Sending in those useless assassins, who were young girls from the estates of your own lords by the way, was for nothing but entertainment. They were promised freedom if they could kill every female in the dungeon. We even told them how many to look for. If they won, I still won. You winning just made it all the sweeter."

"The assassin that looked like your sister was the hardest part. Finding the right person, and then the right drugs was harder than expected. The one you eventually killed didn't respond to the drugs like other people and we almost killed her. We eventually found one that made her volatile enough to attack anything that moved. Killing her was a mercy, as the previous drugs had already destroyed her mind. She couldn't even tell you what her own name was. By killing her, you were less repulsed by the idea of killing another clone of your sister."

"And you think Elsa was the monster?" whispered Anna in a defeated voice.

The duke chuckled before answering. "Please Anna, all will come clear in time, including why I HAVE to tell you all this. You didn't think it was to clear my conscience, did you? Let me just show you how predictable and ready to manipulate you really were, you AND your sister. Once the idea of Elsa being able to die was planted, we needed something to draw out your temper. That idiot bowman was ordered to go after one of the children. You see, we needed you angry so you would be more likely to attack Elsa before you figured out it was her, but which child? Your twin was too new and we didn't have time to wait, Elsa was ahead of schedule. That left the first girl and Elsa's twin. What better way to get you more used to Elsa dying than take her twin out? I was concerned we should have chosen the first girl after we saw how close you two had gotten. Either of the two would have worked, but I think we chose correctly."

"Timing your sister's arrival was no easy task either, especially with the traitorous servants we had taken on. They almost had the queen here too soon. Once I caught the second one, it wasn't hard to convince her to keep writing letters for me in exchange for her life. Once her last letter was written, I had her removed to another farm we have. They would look after her there, after all, the guards wouldn't have to pay for a tramp when they had a free one to pass around. The only thing they were not allowed to do was permanently injure her. I honor my deals, and I said she'd live after all. Your infernal sister arrived just in time to rescue her. My men would have been gone in less than ten more minutes."

"Just as we have been doing all along, we have been following behind you and cleaning up your messes. From the lord's daughters you murdered to Elsa's twin, we have been very careful to make sure you didn't get sick from a rotting corpse, or old blood. Since we didn't have time to take care of them before your sister arrived, I sent a guard to your lavatory to deal with the two young girls. He should be done by now. I'm sure you realized how futile blocking the door would be before you left them alone."

"As entertaining as this is, I think you should go now. Arendelle's guards will be checking on the queen soon, and if you want to live, you can't be here. If you for, my revenge won't be fully complete. I never intended to kill you, ever. You need to suffer like I have these last few years. You will live the rest of your pathetic life running from your subjects, knowing you are the sole reason your sister is dead, and all these people died. I never once asked you to kill any of them. You choose that option on your own, rather than make peace with them. Once they knew who you were, I'm sure any of them would have helped you. Lessons learned I guess. If you speak out about what you've done, people will start hunting you for treason. Take your useless crossbow and your little knives and leave. That door," said the duke pointing to the door on the right of the chessboard, "will take you to the forest out beyond Elsa's guards. They haven't found it yet. I will make your sister comfortable until the poison runs its course. That will just allow me to savor the victory all the longer."

"I'm not that stupid. With me on the run and Elsa dead, you can step in and take the crown. Your just making her comfortable to say you were trying to save her after she was shot. You're lower than a snake's belly."

The duke chuckled as he replied. "Well, since I refused to deal with you in this treasonous act, you've had me imprisoned down here four months. What can an old man do?"

As Anna went to retrieve her bow and the duke chuckled again as she walked to the door. When the duke reached Elsa, Anna paused and looked back over her shoulder before going through the door. "I think there is something you should know before I leave," said Anna in a dead voice.

"And what would that be my dear?"

"Even though I used both the poisoned bolts you have given me, I still had one more unpoisoned bolt left to put in this." Anna turned and raised the bow. "It isn't empty." Pressing the trigger, Anna launched her last bolt from the bow. Shock showed on the duke's face as the bolt impacted his neck. Blood spurted been his fingers as he grasped the fletching that had almost buried itself completely. "You should also know I'd die if I had to if there was any chance to save my sister, especially after what you've done." Anna's spoke without any emotion to her voice. She figured she would soon be dead anyway. Elsa want awake to save her from being executed for treason, and after what Anna had done, why would she help her anyway?

Not expecting a response, Anna raced for the left door. She didn't hesitate to throw the offending weapon this time, once again damaging the bow as it connected with the wall. Anna didn't care. Her screams up the stairs were soon answered, as was her call for a physician for the queen. Her last three words were repeated loudly down the hallway as she turned away from the door. "Poisoned crossbow bolt!"

Anna raced back into her prison to the dining room where she found the dead guard. Barely pausing, she grabbed his sword and ran full out for her toilet room. Without realizing it, she had made a habit of moving quietly. Even in her haste, her bare feet barely made any sound.

As she approached the door, she could hear a man's voice through the half open door.

"I saw what you tried to do with the princess when you all went to wash. What's wrong with this redhead? She may not be as lively as she used to be, but I'm not asking you to touch her cut throat. Your interest should be a bit lower. The longer you entertain me, the longer you live..."

Anna didn't even pause as she walked through the door. It looked like Patty had been pushed down next to Trish. Trish's body was laying on the floor face up. A deep gash across her throat had already spilt most of her blood to the floor under Patty. Patty was starring up at the guard in fear mixed with revulsion. The guard was between Patty and the door, the tip of his sword resting gently on her shoulder. For the first time since she arrived, Anna didn't hesitate to act.

"Please, please don't make me do..." begged Patty before she was interrupted by the guards sudden movement. He had arched his back suddenly with a shocked look on his face. A moment later, Patty saw the top and about six more inches of a sword spring out of his chest. Blood started to drip from the tip as she stared in shock. It took about five long second before he toppled sideways. Behind him, Patty could see Anna standing there panting heavily.

"Anna!" screamed Patty as she jumped up to hug her. Her tears came even faster as she sobbed into Anna's shoulder. "I... He... Th-thank you." she stuttered as she continued to sob.

"I'm sorry," whispered Anna.

"Why?" Patty whispered back as she turned her head to the side.

"I failed you again. I promised nobody else would die."

"Yo-you came back! You tried! You did everything you could!"

"Yes. Yes I did. I protected us so well that Trish is dead. I keep promising more than I can do. I even protected us from the rescue party. I shot my sister with a poisoned bolt, and I killed an Arendelle guard."

"What? You wouldn't do that if you knew it was them. You couldn't have known..."

"Your right again. I didn't know, and I never took the time to check. The letter told us Elsa was in the area but hadn't found us yet. I never thought to doubt it. The noise was my sister and I thought it was an imposter like before. I shot her before she even knew I was there. I killed Arendelle's queen and my only close family. People call Elsa a monster, but they got the wrong person. I-I have to go tell the guards what happened. Come with me and I'll try to make sure they look after you before they lock me up."

"The way you talk about Elsa, she wouldn't do that to you! I'll explain..."

"Elsa's dying and likely won't wake up because I shot her! The reason doesn't matter. That's treason."

Before Patty could speak again, Anna pulled away and walked out the door. Fresh sobs could be heard as Patty rushed to catch up. When they were together again, Patty put an arm around Anna and they walked in silence.

Just before they reached the chess room entry, Patty pulled Anna to a stop. "Anna, listen to me. You did everything you could. You fought for us and came back for us when you could. You did more than anybody could expect out of a horrible situation. Now, as the only one left who can, it's my turn to fight for you. It's my turn to do what I can."

"Patty, the laws are clear and I've broken them. Don't drag yourself down too. Over the last couple years, I've changed and it's not in a good way. From the number of people I've managed to hurt lately through my bad choices, maybe it's better that I get locked away... or worse. Just... just let it go."

"I can't. Anna, you're the only one I've ever met who tried to help me without wanting something in return. What you were up against was more than you were ready for. That's not your fault. There really weren't any good options. Learn from it, but don't give up. I... I need you. I don't have anybody else. I know it's too much for me to hope for, and more than I have any right to claim. You've already done so much for me. Please!" begged Patty desperately.

"Patty, the people I care about get hurt or die. It's usually at least partially my fault. You may have had a hard life, but you'll likely live longer if you stay away. You'll be safe from me."

"No! I'm not leaving without you unless you're going to be okay. I don't care what you say, I'm not giving up on you. I-I promise."

"As you wish," said Anna softly with a sad smile. "Don't say I didn't warn you." They turned and walked through the door together, Anna with slumped shoulders Patty with one arm around Anna's waist.

When Anna entered three chess room, only two guards remained. Elsa, the dead guard, and the duke had all been removed. Only the spilt blood remained. Anna cringed and hung her head when she saw it.

"My lady, we are glad to find you alive! Please, we have been asked to piece together what happened to the queen. If it's not too much, is there any way you can help us?"

"Actually, yes. I guarantee you won't like it though. I know exactly what happened," whispered Anna.

"That will make things much quicker and easier then. Please give us any details you can."

"I will give you the details, but that will take a very long time. I will answers any questions put to me, as well Patty," said Anna, indicating herself and Patty, "but let me give you a quick summary. The duke of Weselton was behind the whole thing. At first, after my arrival, I had to fend off various attacks. As time went on, the attacks became more frequent and one was even an imposter made to look like the queen. As part of his manipulation, I was given young girls to protect. Failure meant watching them die. Of the three, only Patty survived. I was also given reading material aimed at controlling me. Once I grew attached to my charges, and Elsa was getting close, the attacks were aimed at the children. It was all aimed at controlling me, and keeping me off balance. Near the end, there was barely any time between the different attacks."

"My lady, what does this have to do with..."

"Just listen. It all leads up to a vile treason."

"Anna..."

"Hush Patty. Just before Elsa arrived, I received a letter and with it I was given a crossbow with two poisoned bolts. I thought it was the person helping me and Elsa, but she had been caught. She was forced to write letters for the duke to me and maybe to Elsa too. I don't know when that started. The letter warned us to barricade ourselves until Elsa could find and rescue us. It also warned of imposters acting like somebody I would normally trust. One of the children had been killed just shortly before I got the weapon so I wasn't thinking clear."

"Later, when I heard noises, I went to check it out while the remaining two girls hid. When I saw the imposter I was warned about, I shot her with a poisoned bolt, retreated, and then took out her guard." Anna took a deep breath before she plunged on. "That's when I found out there was no imposter and that I had just shot the queen. Gentlemen, I submit myself into your custody on the charges of treason and the attempted murder of Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Under Arendelle's laws..." Anna was unable to continue due to a chorus of voices raised in protest.

"Milady, there must be some mistake..."

"Your highness, I can't believe you would willingly..."

"Anna! NO! It's not your fault! I'll explain..."

"Everybody! Please! My sentence should be carried out on our return to Arendelle. I've proven how much of a danger I can be to the queen, and now to Arendelle itself. People around me tend to die unexpectedly. I think... I think it's for the best. Everybody w-would be a-safer..." said Anna. She would have continued, but she couldn't hold it back any longer. Collapsing to her knees, she began sobbing uncontrollably, not caring who saw.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I've been reworking this chapter for a while, but can't quite make it work the way I want. Never was fully satisfied with it, but it leads into "Refrozen Redemption" fairly well. Sorry about losing my notes for the last chapter and not having it post properly. Will be more careful in future. Due to work schedule, not having much energy for inspiration, but I will complete Redemption eventually. Thank you for your patience, you're the greatest.

...

"Everybody! Please! My sentence should be carried out on our return to Arendelle. I've proven how much of a danger I can be to the queen, and now to Arendelle itself. People around me tend to die unexpectedly. I think... I think it's for the best. Everybody w-would be a-safer..." said Anna. She would have continued, but she couldn't hold it back any longer. Collapsing to her knees, she began sobbing uncontrollably, not caring who saw.

It was a very troubled looking lieutenant that answered the princess after she had managed to calm down. "Milady, we can take you into custody if you must insist. We currently have no prisoners, so using the prison wagon should not be an issue. The sides will be covered, for your security. However, it will be for the council to lay charges. Nobody of rank out here believes you would do this willingly, or wants the responsibility of levelling charges of treason against you. I think that I speak for those with any rank that is the most your loyal subjects are willing to do, at this time."

"I understand, and I thank you for doing even that little. We need to get my sister back to the capital for proper care and rest. If you will on-site me a bit further, this young lady has proven to be a loyal subject of Arendelle, and has been doing her utmost to support me through all this. Regardless of what happens to me, she should be rewarded for her loyalty. She should not have to go back to living on the street, with no food, money, our kin to help her art a bare minimum. I beg you to pass on a request to Kai to arrange a suitable reward, or at least a position on the castle staff, so the streets do not have to be her home any longer."

"Aye, princess Anna, that I would gladly do on your behalf."

"Thank you. If you'll lead me to my confinement, I'll be out of the way while preparations to go are finished."

"I'm not leaving her!" shouted Patty in a panic.

"Actually, I'd bet a months pay that if I 'hired' you right now to attend the princess, the high Senchal would repay the wages you earned without question. Princess Anna appears to be greatly overwhelmed by her ordeal, and somebody in attendance would be necessary. Because the princess had already vouched for you, and you seem genuinely concerned for her welfare, you may be the best choice we have. Would you be willing to..."

"YES!"

"Ah, okay. As long as the princess had no objections...?"

Anna shook her head. "No objections. Thank you lieutenant. It's more than I deserve."

"Then it's settled. Unless there are other concerns. Corporal, based on the princess's story, we need to gather the books in question in case the council wants to see them. Until the council decides, we are NOT going to discuss this with anyone. No gossip, nothing. As the only two that know so far, It wouldn't be hard to figure out which one of us did it, right?"

"Yes, sir!" And off ran the corporal to recover the books from the library room.

The journey back to Arendelle dragged on and on due to the Queen's injury. Surgeons had scraped the wound as clean as they could, because of Anna's warning of poison. Because the ice had encased the whole wound, including between Elsa and the shaft of the bolt, minimal skin had been affected. The cleaning had caused the wound to start bleeding again. With queen Elsa unconscious, there was no way to refreeze the wound. Between the bumpy road and only pressure to seal the wound, Elsa lost a lot of blood on the way home.

Anna barely said a word or moved the whole trip back. Patty, to her credit, kept up a monologue almost the while way. With Anna so withdrawn, Patty was very worried. Fortunately, she got some hope when she did manage to coax a rare smile from the princess.

Kristoff joined the small convoy before long. He did travel with Patty and Anna for a while, but was saddened when he couldn't do anything to get Anna to respond to him. Patty and Kristoff did have extensive talks about Anna's experiences and fears while they were imprisoned, but only in whispers while Anna slept. Because Patty was the only person who managed to get Anna to react, she refused to leave the princess's side for even a moment. When it came to Anna's care, Patty always stepped in to handle it, taking personal responsibility for every need.

Well before reaching the castle, Kristoff left the caravan. He refused to say where he was going, but promised to catch up before they would reach the castle. Patty was getting worried he wouldn't make it, but he did manage to appear within an hour of the gates as promised.

Elsa's condition did little to help Anna's mood, her eyes did show some life when she found out this want a funeral procession for the queen. Elsa alive brought both relief and guilt about her actions. Even though the queen was unconscious, they found she would swallow by reflex if they spooned her broth slow enough. It was a fine line between getting enough in to trigger a swallow, but not enough to trigger her to gag. They did manage brief periods of open eyes, up to fifteen minutes at a time, but there was no signs of her recognizing anybody. Foods other than broth were kept on hand for those times. They didn't have long before she would pass out again, and broth could only do so much to sustain her.

Concerns over Elsa's powers running rampant again proved to be unfounded. No reports of events or strange weather occurred at any time on the trip.

Upon arrival, the queen was moved very carefully to her suite. They went as fast as they could manage without causing greater injury to the queen. Anna waited patiently in her wagon for her turn to go in. While the queen lived, she had to be the priority. It had taken two years, but the people had finally fully realized how devoted Elsa was to Arendelle. The times when she wasn't directly in charge still ran well, but nowhere nearly as smoothly. Anna's efforts to cultivate good will for her sister was the one thing she remained proud of. They showed it in their handling of the queen now.

When Anna's turn to go in came up, she fully expected to be led to the dungeons, and followed docile as a newborn lamb. When she realized they had passed the entrance to the dungeons and were heading for her own room, she stopped with a look of horror on her face.

"Please tell me we aren't taking me to the royal suites! I don't deserve to be comfortable, and... and Elsa isn't safe with me that close! I'm a danger to Arendelle. You have to take me to the dungeons! Please! I-I don't deserve any better." The last ended in a whisper.

"Your highness, when Kristoff came ahead, he expressed his concern you may take this view. The council and Lord Kai..."

"Lord Kai?"

"Queen Elsa named him in line for the throne right after her, her children, then you and any children you may have."

"Oh."

"You are to be treated as a royal prisoner, under constant guard and supervision, until a final accounting on your involvement can be made. As such, any royal command you may make are NOT binding until the council our Lord Kai himself have authorized them."

"Oh," whispered Anna.

"What does that mean?" asked Patty in a worried voice. As always, she followed Anna only a step behind.

The speaker put a hand on her shoulder so they could fall behind. Once Anna and her remaining escorts were several steps ahead, he spoke quietly to Patty.

"Now that the speech is over, I can talk more plainly to you. This had to seem official. You don't have to worry, young miss. Lord Kai worded it that way to keep her from arguing. It means nothing. He understands the pain princess Anna is feeling, but is not willing to put here in a dungeon cell like she feels she deserves. He and the council know she wouldn't willingly try to get the queen, never mind try to kill her. He's giving the illusion of stripping her of her royal powers in answer to her feelings. Master Kristoff also describes how helpful you've been since Anna admitted her 'crime'. While Anna is not too know how, um, little she is being punished, he has given us permission to inform you, as long as you keep the secret from her highness. While part of her 'punishment' is to be isolated from others, that will not apply to you unless you tell the princess."

"Thank you," replied Patty, deeply relieved.

"Actually, Lord Kai asked us to thank you. Because you have been steadfast by Anna's side, he has been able to handle the kingdom's affairs, since the queen obviously can't. Because he is in a position of authority, and there have been some problems with some local lords, as well as rumors of a possible uprising, He has been unable to be with the princess. He would be at her side right next to you if he was able to. You being there, and master Kristoff voicing your devotion, has taken a great weight from his shoulders. You are more help than you realize. Young miss, that is quite a compliment coming from him. To be that comfortable with you in his place without even meeting you means you've made a good impression on him. That's not easy at a time like this. You had better catch up with the princess, we're almost at her room."

Nodding, Patty smiled at the guard before almost running to catch up.

...

Kai waited a couple days before he consulted the physicians regarding the Queen's condition. He knew travelling to the castle would be hard on her physically, and he needed to know just how much she was likely to improve. On arrival, the physicians had pained a very bleak picture. He needed to know if a few days in her own bed, under constant care, had changed anything. Unfortunately, the physician seemed to be avoiding him. He hoped it want because of the Queen's health. It took cornering the man as he left the Queen's chambers to meet the man.

"Kraus!"

"Lord Kai, I understand you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, and please, it's just Kai when we're alone. I didn't ask for this position. I need to know if her majesty is any better."

"She is waking up more often and for longer. She even recognized her room this morning. She is still very weak, though, and either blood loss or the poison could have affected her brain. She may never recover enough to be queen, or she could be just fine. While death is no longer likely, it is also not impossible. Once her system filters out the poison, we'll have a better idea."

"No signs of hallucinations like last time?"

"None, but no signs of her being able to use her powers either. We just can't tell, Lord Kai."

"No hallucinations is good at least. I need to update the council later today. If her condition worsens at any time or in any way, I need to know immediately. I don't care about the hour or what I'm in the middle of."

"Yes, my lord."

Kai looks at the man and sighs. The surgeon was clearly unhappy with his promotion to Lord. "You know where to find me if you need me. I do need updates at least every other day. If your current duties prevent you from reporting, I need you to send somebody in your place. The duties forced on me do not currently allow me enough time to hunt you down."

"Yes, my lord."

Kai turned away shaking his head in frustration. He had one more elusive rabbit to hunt down. He hated having to play the hunter, but people had been avoiding him since his elevation. If he was right, Kristoff should be in either the stables or the kitchens. While he had genuine concern for Anna's welfare, her changes over the last year had had created a distance between the two. He was concerned that their relationship had changed too much for them to remain a couple. The feelings they showed for each other looked closer to siblings than lovers. He had no idea if Anna knew their relationship had faltered so badly, let alone discussing it between themselves.

As Kai expected, Kristoff was in the stables with Sven. Sven's coat shone under Kristoff's care. Kristoff was always uncomfortable with royalty, but Sven's coat spoke volumes to how much Kristoff was down her instead of with Anna. When Kristoff saw Kai enter, he was a little startled.

"Kai, uh, my lord. What are you doing here?"

"Just Kai, please, when we are alone. I was looking for you. I understand you want to take miss Anna on a trip to the north mountain."

"Yes, that is if you and the council permit it. I'd hoped to go visit my family with Anna. They may be able to help with the mood she's fallen into. She hasn't even gone to visit Hazel's grave since her return. She knows she's allowed to with a guard escorting her. That's beyond unusual for her."

Suddenly a new voice cut into the conversation. "That's because she believes she visits Anna in her dreams. Her and somebody called Della. You said hazel had fired. Did she leave the princess before she died, or because she died?" The question dropped with malice, bordering on outright anger.

Both men turn as Patty stepped into the stable. Her distaste with the building was obvious. "Well, that explains that I guess. Aren't you supposed to be watching Anna?" asked Kristoff defensively

"One of the maids stays with her while she's sleeping. It gives me an hour or two for exploring or sleep. You never answered my question."

This time Kai answered. "Hazel was Anna's protector and died at her side a year ago. If I may know, why do you ask?"

"Anna keeps talking about her in her sleep. I don't understand most of what she says. In her sleep, she seems to talk about her leaving, and asking her to come back to her, often enough that I was able to figure that much out." As Patty responded, she kept her eyes turned to the ground. Anger and some regret could be heard in her words.

Kristoff looked at her in surprise. "Don't tell me you're jealous of a dead girl?!"

"Kristoff! Mind your manners! That was very insensitive to direct at one so young. Patty, you don't have to answer that. Kristoff has a habit of speaking before he thinks things through. He seems rude at times, but if you can look past that, you'll see he's very honest about what's on his mind."

"No, no. I... You... Maybe I should go back to Anna," stuttered the young girl.

"Actually, if like your opinion of joining me and Anna on a trip to the north mountain. I still have to get Kai to clear it, but I would appreciate you being there. Anna seems to prefer your company to anybody else's, even more than being with me," asked Kristoff uncertainly.

"For as long as I'm allowed, I will go where Anna goes. I won't abandon her after all she tried to do for us in that hole. She deserves better... than that." Patty seemed to direct much of that comment at herself, something happened she was very self conscious about.

Kristoff wondered what happened between them as he answered. "Well, you're more than welcome to come. I'd try anything to help Anna. I know Anna still blames herself for being tricked. She even keeps that odd outfit we found her in, even though she won't wear it. She won't even allow her servants to clean the blood out of it."

" 'That outfit' came to describe what Anna feels she became down there as she protected us. Do you know who wears that kind of 'outfit'?"

"No idea, do you?"

"Yes, actually, and I wish I never told Anna. It's used in warmer areas that never see snow. This duke gave her the outfit of an assassin from the south. While I was living on the streets, I was warned to avoid talking to, or even closely looking at somebody wearing those clothes. Anna feels she was forced to become a killer down there, just to keep us alive. In a way, she was right. Without her, if be dead a long time ago. Two others in her care did die, and she won't stop blaming herself. She's torn between just becoming a killer, and not being a good enough killer to protect us. Then she shot her sister. She wanted to die for a while after she realized what she did. I saw it in her eyes. I seen it before in others who had lost all hope." As she finished talking, she looked up from the floor at Kristoff again. Anger lined her eyes. "You'd know that if you came to visit at all."

"Um, yes. Well..." mumbled a thoroughly shamed Kristoff.

"We need to get that outfit away from her," said Kai.

"You can't, not until she's ready. She's got to accept what she did before that outfit leaves. The blood on it is the blood she can't accept, the blood she feels she wrongly spilt. Don't think forgive herself, that may never happen. She only has to accept what she was forced to do. I'm saying this well."

"You're doing fine. We had to do similar things about a year ago for similar reasons. Trust me, we understand," said Kai.

"Anyway, if you take it away too soon, she'll close in on herself. She's already borderline closing in now. If she does, I don't think I could get her to respond, and getting her to eat would become very difficult. I saw some of that happening already before you found us. She's beyond broken, it goes way deeper than that. Shattered may describe it better. I won't let anybody hurt her more, not after what she did for us, for me. She did her best and has the heart of a saint. I'd like to be there to see it whole again. If you let anybody touch or take that outfit, stains and all, it may not be whole again in our lifetime. When she's ready, I'll bring it out. Store it out of sight for a while in case she wasn't as ready as I thought, and then feel free to dispose of it. Burn that unholy thing to cinders, but not until she is able to handle its loss."

"I thank you. Nobody has been able to figure out why she was so attached to it. Is there anything else we can do to help her? I welcome any ideas to add to what we have already. Your experiences with her seem to be giving you a keen insight into how to help her best this time. Everything you've said makes perfect sense for the Anna we know."

With that, Patty's expression became uncertain. "I'm not really sure. I understand what not to do when I see it, but I need to see it first. When we met, we fit together well despite a poor start. I supported her and she gave me confidence I've never had before. I've never been this comfortable with anybody else like I am with her. I've never had somebody to worry over before, not like this. She took me for who I was, for good or ill, and accepted me. Nobody has ever taken the time to look twice at me before, except in very uncomfortable ways. She didn't have to help any of us. I-I've never cared for somebody like this, like I do for her. I don't really know what I should be doing. I only know there are some things we just can't do. As I see those, I'll speak up, if the other person will listen to a 'street urchin'. I don't really know what I should do."

"Miss Patty, you're there for her when others can't or won't. The queen can't physically go to get for right now or some time in the future. I see her nowhere near as much as she needs, due to affairs of state I'm handling on her behalf. Because I'm not the queen, it has been difficult to get things done, and many done believe it when told of my new rank. She needs somebody to be there and to look out for her at times like this. Your willingness to be there is EXACTLY what she needs. It appears we need you there too, if you're willing. From what you've just told us, I don't think that would be a problem."

"Miss Patty, you have the backing of 'Lord Kai' as far as miss Anna well-being is concerned. As of this moment, you have the authority to make limited demands for anything you feel would benefit the princess. If somebody wishes to contest that authority, or believe your demands are too high, they can bring their concern before me immediately, and I'll address it immediately. From how you've carried yourself since we found you, and I've seen the reports on you specifically, you would have full authority, but there are those who would make your position extremely difficult due to jealousy. Coupled with the animosity for my sudden elevation to 'Lordship', they may direct it at anything out anyone I appear to be favoring. That wouldn't make it any easier for you or beneficial to miss Anna." At Patty's puzzled look, he lowered his voice. "The head physician is angry about my promotion. Because he can't do anything about it, and I'm endorsing you, he may try to take his displeasure out on you. The more powerful I make you, the more likely he will be a problem. If they didn't want me to use my authority, maybe they shouldn't keep pushing the title 'Lord Kai' at me."

Returning his voice to normal, he continued. "Now, as Anna's friend, if you need anything for either you or miss Anna, just say the word and I'll see to it. You've done so much for miss Anna, you earned anything I can reasonably supply. I am in your debt."

Patty stood there with her mouth slightly open. Anna had said she was going to help her get off the streets, but there was no way she expected the attention she was getting now. Now, here was the heir apparent and currently third in line to the throne saying what amounted to the same thing. No reasonable request denied? Authority over Anna's care, PRINCESS ANNA'S CARE?

"Uh, thank you?" she answered uncertainly. "I-I'd better get back to Anna. Thank you!" She didn't waste any time turning to leave. Once she left, they could hear her excited "YES!" From the back of the barn. Kai chuckled in amusement.

"Anna had a loyal follower. That girl has one serious case of hero-worship for our Anna. At the moment, I can't see that as a bad thing. Kristoff, will the trolls be able to assist miss Anna like they did when she was young?"

"Well, no. This wasn't caused by magic, do anything they could do was limited to begin with. It's easier to break anything than it is to fix that same thing. Based on what Patty said, this is also an issue of the heart. Pabbie's magic it very limited when it comes to the heart. His words, not mine."

"I still think them among the best qualified to help. Give me a week to get staff to the ice palace and get it ready. I assume you would be staying there as the closest permanent building to the trolls?"

"That would be appreciated."

"It also gives us time to ensure the Queen's survival. That may make things easier with Anna's mood. The physicians day survival is likely to happen, but they are concerned her head may be affected. We may have a queen that plays with dolls for the rest of her life, or she may be just fine. We'll know better later, when the poison is fully out of her system." Kai paused to take a deep breath. "That leaves me two major concerns left to address. What do we tell the people? I've got one idea, but it is not ideal. We obviously can't say it was Anna."

"Only a few guards know who actually shot the queen, right?"

"Of course. The field captains kept it quiet, thank the gods. We also separated those who knew from those who don't to prevent rumors."

"That's perfect. Promote then to the royal guard conditional to their silence. Overall, that's a nice, easy and warm position, even with the cold not bothering Elsa."

"And if they talk?"

"Let them guard the dungeons from inside the deepest cells. You know, the ones that always seem locked? Seriously, the longer it takes to get out. The less likely it will l be believed, especially with Anna's reputation for caring. She tried to give her life for the queen, after all. If they talk, I'd send them as relief guards to the coolest and most isolated areas you can find. Don't hide that from them and act quickly on the first person to break that trust. We have to stem rumors as long as possible, and the new postings may deter starting the rumors I the first place."

Kai nodded. I thought I was just going to have to put them in remote locations, but what you suggest would put less credence to the rumors. Maybe you should be in charge instead of me."

"Oh no! Not a chance! I've had longer to think on this, and less distractions from other duties. You haven't had the luxury to think of it yet."

"We'll try what you suggest. It is more risky for rumors to start, but it may be worth it. I'd rather reward loyalty if possible, rather than punish it. That only leaves one issue left in regard to the princess, and I'd rather handle it as 'just Kai', not the official 'Lord Kai'.

"Oh?"

"To be blunt, your feelings for the princess have changed, haven't they?"

"Oh, well, is it that obvious?"

"No, I've just suspected it may happen and know you well enough to see the signs."

"Kai, I still care for her, but she's nowhere near the girl I fell in love with. What am I going to do."

"Get her through this, and then be honest with her. She desperately needs all the support she can get right now. She won't feel your support if you tell her now. Wait until she can handle the change, or comes to the same conclusion on her own."

"She won't thank me for it."

"Never said she would. It's not going to be easy, no matter how you look at it. It's not fair to either of you to keep bottling this up longer than necessary."

"People who go from 'I love you' to 'let's just be friends' often hurt the other person when they let the secret out."

"I don't like it either, but I've seen the signs for a long time. If she hadn't been kidnapped, I would have had this discussion with you ages ago."

Kristoff nodded as he turned away. "Maybe you're right."

"Just think hard on it for a while. Maybe you'll change your mind and decide you want to stay with the princess. Be honest, to both yourself and with her." Without another word, Kai put a comforting hand on his arm briefly before leaving the stable.

True to his word, Kai sent out people the next day to prepare the palace. The remainder of the week was uneventful. Elsa did continue to improve, both physically and mentally. However, no signs of her power returning were seen in that time. No amount of coaxing could convince Anna to visit her sister. Her arguments always ended with a quiet "I'm too dangerous to go near the queen." After saying that, Anna would stop responding to everybody for several hours.

At the end of the week, Patty picked Anna's clothes and her assassin's outfit. Anna refused to leave it behind. Kai had also insisted Patty have her own assortment of clothes, so she could be comfortable at any temperature. Kai did give in regarding ornamentation and patterning on the clothes. Patty flatly refused to look at anything that wasn't simple and functional. After everything was loaded, Anna silently took her seat at the edge of the bench. Patty looked at Anna sadly before quietly apologizing to those seeing them off and said goodbye for them both. Because of the seating, Patty was forced to sit between Anna and Kristoff so she could attend the princess. Kristoff didn't let on that he preferred the arrangement, and Patty was more than willing to comply. When everybody was ready, Kristoff snapped the reins gently to let Sven know that it was time to leave.

A single skinny man stood across from the gate as he watched the sled leave. He kept his cloak tightly wrapped around his body. To most he appeared to be a cold, frail old man.

Once the princess was out of sight, he slowly walked back to a nearby inn and shambles up to his room. On entering, he through off his cloak and sat in front of the fire. After a moment's thought, he addressed the rooms only other occupant.

"You were right, they were leaving for the mountain today. We will have to follow them, but we don't have to race. We know where they are going, and I don't want them to know we are behind them."

"Very good, sir."

"He training was incomplete or she wouldn't have turned on the duke."

"Well, he did push at her emotions too hard, sir. You've said so yourself. Do you aim to continue her training?"

"Of course. Her work is incomplete. Only she can get close enough to Elsa to end her reign. This is only a minor setback."

"How do you plan to proceed, sir?"

"I've arranged for some assistance to be ready at a nearby town. It took some work, but the servant you arranged to join the princess at the palace will have to secretly continue to direct the girl. You are sure of the loyalty of this one?"

"They have no love of the crown, my lord. With what we are paying him, he will remain loyal to our cause."

"It'll be on your head if they betray us. Her training will be completed."

"You are NOT going yo make yourself known to them, I assume?"

"Absolutely not! It took great efforts for them to think me dead, why would I give them any reason to think otherwise?" As he spoke he turned toward his servant, bringing his face into the light. "She only killed my dolt of a brother. The duke of Weselton does not go down that easily. If I could have been due of her training, I would have been there myself. As it stands, her actions just add to the accounts that must be settled. I will have my revenge on the monster of Arendelle and her sister. I'll recover my lands, even if I have to carve them out of Arendelle itself. I ALWAYS collect on my debts. I SHALL be repaid what is my due. It's time to ready our horses, captain."

"Yes, my lord." As the captain closed the door, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The duke's deep intend chuckle still echoed in his mind as he once again asked himself the question again. 'what have I gotten myself into?

...

A/N: I will need to take a while to ready part 3 - Refrozen Redemption before I begin posting again. Remember, I'm worse than the flu, I ALWAYS return. :)


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